Wrestlemania Count-Up – Wrestlemania XXXIX Night Two (2024 Edition): Story Time

Wrestlemania XXXIX Night Two
Date: April 2, 2023
Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves
Attendance: 67,553
America The Beautiful: Jimmie Allen

After a rather long intermission, we’re ready to wrap up the show and this night has a lot to live up to. The first night was outstanding and now we have the real main event, as Roman Reigns defends the WWE Universal Title against Cody Rhodes. In addition, Gunther defends the Intercontinental Title against Sheamus and Drew McIntyre and we have a Cell match as a bonus. Let’s get to it.

Jimmie Allen sings America The Beautiful.

Kevin Hart gives us the cold open again, this time talking about how the sequel has to be bigger and better. Points for not just redoing the same video from the night before and keeping up with the theme.

Miz and Snoop Dogg welcome us to the show with a quick recap and preview. Snoop is ready to get us going.

Brock Lesnar vs. Omos

The story here is that Lesnar can’t overpower Omos (with MVP). Seriously that’s about it. Lesnar can’t double leg him to start and gets tossed around. Running shoulders don’t do much for Lesnar so Omos hits a headbutt and grabs a slam. Omos throws him around again and hits some forearms to the back. We hit the bearhug, followed by another slam, and another bearhug to keep Lesnar in trouble. Lesnar fights out and is quickly chokeslammed for a near fall. Back up and Lesnar rolls some German suplexes but his back gives out on the F5 attempt. Then Lesnar hits the F5 for the pin at 4:56.

Rating: C-. Well they definitely did the right thing in keeping this short, as the whole thing was about Lesnar doing his power moves but not doing them all that well because Omos is that big. It’s a very basic story and while Omos got in some impressive stuff, it felt more like a way to get Lesnar on the show more than anything else (which granted that’s more or less what it was). Not a great match but the fans liked the big throws so points for that.

Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez vs. Natalya/Shotzi vs. Chelsea Green/Sonya Deville vs. Ronda Rousey/Shayna Baszler

It’s the women’s match of the showcase tag match from last night. Baszler and Rousey (the bullies) didn’t have to qualify here and were just thrown into the match. Morgan Backstabbers Sonya to start and a one kneed Codebreaker makes it even worse. Natalya comes in for the sling shot belly to back drop. The basement dropkick puts Morgan down again but she hurricanranas her way to freedom.

Rodriguez comes in and gets to throw Natalya around, leaving Natalya to hand it off to Green. A missile dropkick has no effect so Sonya comes back in, allowing Green to grab some hair. Shotzi comes in so Baszler throws her outside, where Rousey is waiting on her. That leaves Baszler to get caught in a triplebomb, meaning Rousey has to get on the apron…but the three on one is broken up by Green and Sonya.

Shotzi dives onto people in the ring and on the floor, but Green stops to tell us to get our cameras ready. Rather than face Rodriguez, Green dives onto a bunch of people at ringside. With no one else left inside, Rodriguez powerbombs Morgan onto the pile for the big crash. Back in and Rodriguez fall away slams Shotzi, setting up the corkscrew Vader Bomb. Sonya comes in for the save though and some double teaming puts Rodriguez on the floor.

Green and Sonya celebrate until Natalya and Shotzi are back in for an assisted double Sliced Bread. A Hart Attack gets two on Sonya with Green making the save. There’s the double Sharpshooter to Sonya and Green until Morgan dives off the top for the save. Morgan takes Shotzi down but Rousey and Baszler (now with one boot and limping) come back in to break it up. Rousey armbars Shotzi for the win at 8:22.

Rating: C+. I don’t know if Baszler’s injury put she and Rousey on the floor for so long but they were almost not around whatsoever for a good chunk of the match. The match was pretty similar to its male counterpart but two of these teams felt thrown together and it hurt a lot. Rousey and Baszler winning should set them up as the monsters of the division and they would win the Tag Team Titles in about a month and a half…after Rodriguez and Morgan won them first. As usual, those things are a mess.

We look at Bobby Lashley winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on Smackdown.

Lashley comes out and shows off the trophy.

Xavier Woods and UpUpDownDown preview the Intercontinental Title match.

We recap Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Gunther for the latter’s Intercontinental Title. Gunther is a monster champion and his fellow Europeans want to hit him really hard and win the title. Sheamus and McIntyre are friends but both want the title, meaning they’re willing to fight each other. This falls into the “do we need to draw you a picture here” category. It also falls into the “we saw this video (or something really similar to it) last night” category.

Intercontinental Title: Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending and Titus O’Neil is on commentary. Sheamus and McIntyre waste no time in knocking the champ to the floor before starting to lay into each other. Sheamus hits a clothesline and takes McIntyre into the corner for some uppercuts. McIntyre is sent to the apron for the forearms but Gunther is back up with chops for both of them. Gunther sends McIntyre into the post for a crash out to the floor, followed by a big boot to Sheamus’ face.

The Boston crab has Sheamus in more trouble until McIntyre comes in to break it up. McIntyre and Gunther chop it out (and they’re loud chops too) but Sheamus is back in with the uppercuts all around. With Gunther getting back up, Sheamus ties him in the ropes for the forearms to the chest, mixed in with chops from McIntyre. That leaves Gunther down so Sheamus ties McIntyre up in the ropes for almost thirty forearms to the chest.

Gunther is back in to break up the Celtic Cross though and a German suplex drops Sheamus again. The big clothesline gives Gunther two but McIntyre is back up to suplex Sheamus into Sheamus in the corner. There’s a Futureshock to Gunther but the Claymore misses. Gunther powerbombs McIntyre down and goes up but Sheamus is right there with a super White Noise. The Celtic Cross sets up the Cloverleaf so Gunther makes the rope, which means nothing because it’s No DQ.

Sheamus lets go and puts the hold back on anyway, only to have McIntyre come in for the break. That doesn’t go well either as Sheamus knees both of them down but McIntyre cuts off the Brogue Kick. McIntyre headbutts him out to the floor and busts out the big flip dive, leaving everyone down on the floor. Cole to O’Neil: “You never did that!” O’Neil: “AND I NEVER WILL!”

Back in and Sheamus Brogue Kicks McIntyre for two, followed by the Claymore to give McIntyre two of his own. Sheamus drops McIntyre again and covers but Gunther dives in with a top rope splash. Gunther’s powerbomb to Sheamus onto McIntyre leaves them both down, followed by another powerbomb to pin McIntyre and retain at 16:35.

Rating: A. It’s rare that I’ll watch a match back on its own but I’ve seen this one more than a few times now as it’s that kind of brutal. These guys beat the fire out of each other and that is exactly how it was advertised. They didn’t stop and for once it felt like three people having a match. There were stretches where it was two in and one out, but it was a brutal and hard hitting enough match to make up for it. Excellent stuff here, as you probably should have expected.

WWE did charity work this week.

We recap Asuka vs. Bianca Belair for the latter’s Raw Women’s Title. Belair won the title last year at Wrestlemania and has become a huge star during her reign. Then Asuka showed up as an evil clown and Belair is all scared, at least somewhat due to Asuka spraying her with the mist over and over. It’s a simple story but it didn’t exactly work and this never felt like a big feud.

Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Asuka

Asuka is challenging and comes out with a team of masked Asukas, while Belair counters with an all girl kids dance troupe. Eh point to the champ. Belair kicks her down at the bell and hits a dropkick into the corner, setting up the right hands. That’s broken up and Asuka kicks her down, setting up the big missed kick to the head. Asuka puts her on top but Belair flips over her and hits a spinebuster for a fast two.

Something close to a triangle choke has Belair in trouble before Asuka switches to the Asuka Lock. It’s not on quite full though and Belair rolls outside, where she PLANTS Asuka with a sitout powerbomb. Back in and Belair misses a charge into the post, allowing Asuka to pull her into a heel hook. Belair powers out but Asuka grabs an ankle lock, which is rolled away for the break. Asuka is right back up with a missile dropkick for two and things slow down a bit.

They go to the apron where Asuka hits a hard dropkick into the post. Belair sends her into the post to even things up a bit, setting up a deadlift superplex to bring them back inside. Asuka’s kick to the face gets two but a Codebreaker is blocked. A running Blockbuster into a handspring moonsault gives Belair two and frustration is setting in. They go to the corner with Asuka slipping out of a fireman’s carry and hitting a Codebreaker for two of her own. Back up and the mist misses but Asuka slips out of the KOD. The cross armbreaker doesn’t quite work for Asuka though and Belair powers up for the

Rating: B-. This was good but it never hit that next level, save for maybe the final sequence. The story just wasn’t that compelling coming in and it didn’t really feel like a major showdown. Belair retaining the title over a top level challenge is good though as beating Asuka is still an impressive feat.

We look at Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens beating the Usos for the Tag Team Titles in Night One’s main event.

Here are Miz and Snoop Dogg to announce tonight’s attendance of 81,395, giving us a two day total of 161,892. That’s great, but Miz isn’t happy with Snoop for putting him into an impromptu match last night. Dogg: “So you want to do it again?” Of course not, because Miz doesn’t like being humiliated in his town. Snoop says this is the people’s city and introduces….Shane McMahon, because SHANE MUST BE A THING. Shane thanks the fans and sounds like he can barely breathe after his entrance. Time for a match

Shane McMahon vs. Miz

Shane punches him in the corner and yeah they’re as bad as before. Then he drops down, leapfrogs over Miz and….tears his quad on the landing less than thirty seconds in. That brings Snoop in to hit Miz in the face and apparently we have a replacement. Snoop knocks him down again and drops a People’s Elbow for the pin at 2:11. This seems to have been completely impromptu with either the referee telling Snoop to get in there or Snoop coming up with the idea on his own. Either way, major points to Snoop who had no idea what he was doing and gave the fans a very fun moment out of nowhere.

We recap Edge vs. the Demon Finn Balor inside the Cell. Balor threw Edge out of the Judgment Day the night he joined, setting off a feud between the two of them. This led to Judgment Day attacking both Edge and his wife Beth Phoenix, meaning it’s time for the big, violent fight.

The Cell is lowered and we get a voiceover (from Russell Crowe of all people, as part of a movie tie-in) talking about how evil it is as well.

Edge vs. Finn Balor

Inside the Cell and this is Brood Edge (and yes, his Titantron literally says BROOD EDGE), who comes out of the Brood ring of fire with a shiny mask that makes him look like the Terminator while wearing wings, against the Demon. They waste no time in getting the weapons, with Edge grabbing a red chair and Balor grabbing a purple kendo stick (because not only do you need weapons in the Cell, but you need COLOR COORDINATED weapons).

Balor gets the better of things and knocks him to the floor, only to get hammered back inside. Edge knocks him off the apron and grabs a bunch of kendo sticks (two purple, one red), some of which he uses to pin Balor into the corner of the Cell. A dropkick off the apron hits Balor to make it worse, meaning it’s time to set up the table. Balor uses the delay to get out and sends Edge hard into the steps. They get back inside where Edge hits a quick Impaler but the spear is countered with a Sling Blade.

They go outside with Balor being dropkicked through a table, only to come back in with an Unprettier. The Edge-O-Matic gets two more and it’s time to grab a ladder. Edge throws said ladder at Balor’s face and Balor is busted open BAD, meaning we pause for the medic to come inside to check on him (this led to a hilarious reaction from Mick Foley, because apparently YOU CAN PAUSE A CELL MATCH DUE TO AN INJURY).

Edge uses the delay to get a bunch of weapons ready but Balor is back up with 1916. The spear only hits ladder and Balor hits another Slind Blade. Coup de Grace connects for two and Balor climbs the ladder, only to get countered into a super Edgecution for a slightly delayed two.

That takes too long again and Balor is back up with his own weapons shots, including a bunch of chair shots to Edge. Balor climbs up but instead climbs the cage and gets onto the camera platform. This adds a full nine inched above the top rope but the Coup De Grace only hits table. Edge’s spear gets two so he unloads with chair shots to the back. The Conchairto finishes Balor at 18:10.

Rating: B-. This was the modern Cell match and that is not a good thing for the most part. The bell rang and they went straight for the weapons, which didn’t exactly make the Cell itself feel important. It was a violent and hard hitting match but other than one or two spots, I’m not sure how much the Cell was needed. Either use the Cell or don’t, because this was a street fight with the cage blocking the camera view.

We look at the Wrestlemania trailers.

Backlash is coming to Puerto Rico. You should too!

We look at the Hall Of Fame induction ceremony.

Here is the class in the stadium:

Stacy Keibler (who has not aged a day)
Andy Kaufman (represented by his family)
Great Muta (that’s a nice addition)
Tim White (Warrior Award, and his brother looks identical to him)
Rey Mysterio (that’s about as perfect of a choice for an active headliner as you could pick)

Mysterio shakes the other inductees’ hands (bowing to Muta).

We look at Set Rollins’ entrance from last night. Feel free to get on with the show at any time.

We recap Roman Reigns defending the WWE Universal Title against Cody Rhodes. The big idea here is Rhodes wants to finish his story, meaning winning the title in his dad’s honor while also completing his long rise to the top of WWE. Reigns has been champion for two and a half years and isn’t going away that fast, so it’s time for the big showdown. It feels like a main event and Cody is almost the last man standing to fight Reigns.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns

Reigns is defending and has Paul Heyman/Solo Sikoa with him. Rhodes gets his big entrance and goes over to say hi to his family, including giving his weightlifting belt to an unmasked Negative One (the son of the late Brody Lee, who makes occasional AEW appearances). Reigns gets a special entrance of his own, with a team of pianists playing the start of his entrance live. We get an ACKNOWLEDGE ME from Reigns before the bell finally rings.

Rhodes hammerlocks him over to the ropes to start and Reigns isn’t impressed. A headlock takeover and a right hand has Reigns a bit more annoyed so he bails out to the floor. Heyman’s advice is that Reigns isn’t here for Rhodes because Rhodes is here for him. Heyman: “NOW SMASH HIM!” Back in and Reigns elbows him in the face, meaning it’s time to raise up a finger. Rhodes manages a dropkick (Reigns is stunned again) for two, with commentary saying that cover wasn’t about getting a pin but rather sending a message to Reigns. What that message is isn’t clear but I’d guess “Eat At Joe’s”.

The Disaster Kick is pulled out of the air though and Reigns hits a powerbomb for two. Some suplexes have Rhodes in more trouble but he’s back up to send Reigns out to the floor. That goes badly for him as well as Reigns drops him face first onto the apron. A hard slam puts Rhodes down onto the ramp but Rhodes gets in one of his own. Rhodes sends him back inside but Sikoa gets in a chair shot to the ribs, allowing Reigns to come back with the apron boot.

The cravate slows Rhodes down back inside until he fights up, only to have Sikoa interfere again. This time it lets Reigns hit a hard clothesline before whipping Rhodes into the corner to stay on his bad ribs. They go back outside with Reigns loading up the announcers’ table but getting backdropped through the other one for the big hope spot. Back in and Rhodes hits the drop down uppercut into the snap powerslam.

There’s the Cody Cutter for a big near fall so Reigns rolls outside, meaning it’s a suicide dive to hit him again. They try to get back in but Sikoa gets in a weightlifting belt shot….which the referee hears for an ejection. The distraction lets Rhodes hit Cross Rhodes for two (with Heyman looking on in fear for a nice visual). Reigns is back with some shots to the head and a release Rock Bottom gets two.

The Superman Punch is countered into a Pedigree (Heyman even reaches through the ropes this time) for two and it’s time to start the comeback. Said comeback is cut off with a Superman Punch to knock Rhodes out of the air for two more. The spear is countered into a sunset flip for two and Rhodes whips out a Figure Four for a change of pace. Reigns turns it over (while slapping the mat on the way there), with Rhodes getting over to the ropes for the break.

A big spear connects for two and now Reigns is stunned for a change. With nothing else working, Reigns hits him in the face over and over before grabbing the guillotine choke. Rhodes can’t spinebuster his way to freedom but he can slip his head out and hammer away at Reigns for a change. The referee gets bumped though and a double knockdown gives us quite the breather. Cody is back up for the Cross Rhodes but the Usos run in to break it up. The 1D drops Rhodes but here are Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to take out the Usos.

A Stunner into the Helluva Kick leave Reigns down and the other four brawl out into the crowd. Rhodes gets the big dramatic near fall (and thank goodness that wasn’t the pin as Rhodes winning thanks to Owens and Zayn wouldn’t have worked) and they’re both down again. Back up and the slug it out with both of them being staggered off the shots. The Superman Punch is countered with the Flip Flop And Fly into the Bionic Elbow. Rhodes hits back to back Cross Rhodes….but Sikoa comes in with the Samoan Spike. The spear retains the title at 34:36.

Rating: B+. A year removed from this and my goodness I’m still amazed at the guts it took to not pull the trigger here. This was Cody’s chance to win the whole thing and they kept it on Reigns, which is quite the way to go. They beat the fire out of each other and it had the big match feel, but not pulling the trigger here still feels way off. Heck of a main event, but man they had the fans ready for the moment and just didn’t do it.

Replays and a highlight package wrap us up.

Overall Rating: B. There were some weak parts here and there but the good stuff is more than enough to carry this. Much like Night One, you can’t fault the atmosphere and the look/feel of the show, which made for a heck of a showcase for everyone involved. The main event was very good (ending aside perhaps) and the Intercontinental Title match was great, mixed in with some other strong stuff along the way. I liked this one a lot and the slightly shorter running time helped, but it’s just a few ticks below Night One’s instant classic status.

Overall Overall Rating: A-. Wrestlemania has a complicated history but this was going along with the big, epic show feel and it worked to near perfection. It’s one of the best Wrestlemanias ever and what matters is the show feeling as big as possible. Granted it helped that there was some great action, though that ending is one of those things that is going to stick in a lot of fans’ memories for a very long time. I loved the show overall, and my goodness WWE knows how to make these things work so well.

Ratings Comparison

Brock Lesnar vs. Omos

Original: C+
Redo: C-

Women’s Tag Team Showcase

Original: C
Redo: C+

Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus vs. Gunther

Original: A-
Redo: A

Asuka vs. Bianca Belair

Original: B
Redo: B-

Shane McMahon vs. Miz

Original: N/A
Redo: N/A

Edge vs. Finn Balor

Original: B
Redo: B-

Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes

Original: B+
Redo: B+

Overall Rating

Original: B+
Redo: B

Overall Overall Rating:

Original: A
Redo: A-

At least most of them are in in the ballpark. Either way, excellent show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT – April 9, 2024: The Sequel’s Almost As Good

NXT
Date: April 9, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re done with Stand & Deliver and it was certainly an eventful show. Trick Williams defeated Carmelo Hayes to win the main event and show that he’s ready to be one of the top stars around here. Roxanne Perez got the Women’s Title back by defeating Lyra Valkyria and Oba Femi continues to show that he is a dominant force in the making. Tonight we start getting ready for whatever is next so let’s get to it.

Here is Stand & Deliver if you need a recap.

We open with a long Stand & Deliver recap.

Here is Roxanne Perez to get things going. Perez can’t believe anyone is surprised because what happened on Saturday was justice being served. She saw Lyra Valkyria’s arm being banged up and took advantage of it. Valkyria said she was honorable but Perez found it stupid. No one can take the title from her because the next time she loses the title is when she gives it up to go to Raw or Smackdown.

Cue Valkyria, with her arm in a sling, saying she wants her rematch tonight. Perez rolls her eyes but Tatum Paxley pops up to say she’s ready. Then Paxley sends Valkyria into the steps and walks off. Perez says we won’t be seeing a title match tonight but here is Natalya (who told Perez she was going to see her tonight) to say she’ll face Perez tonight. That’s a no, but here is Ava to say yes. Natalya getting a title shot just because? I thought this was a new era.

Nathan Frazer and Axiom are getting their last Tag Team Title shot tonight. If they don’t win here, they’re done as a team.

Andre Chase gives Kelani Jordan and Fallon Henley honorary degrees for their win at Stand & Deliver. Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx come in with Jayne revealing why Chase U was in debt in the first place: Chase had put a big bet on Thea Hail to win the Women’s Title at the Great American Bash (where Chase threw in the towel to save Hail) but cared more about her than the school. If Hail hadn’t been such a loser, the school wouldn’t have been in trouble. Chase says it’s true and Hail storms off.

Fallon Henley/Kelani Jordan vs. Kiana James/Izzi Dame

The villains jump them to start but Jordan grabs a headscissors out of the corner to drop James. Dame comes in and gets sleepered for her quick efforts. Everything breaks down and the villains are sent outside, with Jordan hitting a big slingshot dive. Back in and Dame takes over on Jordan, with James getting in some shots of her own.

Dame’s running elbow gets two and a flapjack gets the same. An abdominal stretch doesn’t last long and Jordan rolls over for the tag off to Henley. The pace picks way up and the spinning superplex puts James down. Henley has to save Jordan from a cheap shot but walks into the 401K to give James the pin at 6:59.

Rating: C+. Henley and Jordan work together fairly well and have gotten to showcase themselves over the last few shows. In this case, it makes sense to have the villains get a win to even things up a bit after losing on Saturday. The match was fairly high energy and it worked well enough here for not having much time in the ring.

Je’Von Evans is ready to go. This is the same video we saw at Stand & Deliver.

OTM is ready to deal with Evans.

The No Quarter Catch Crew (no Drew Gulak in sight) talk about Bloodsport (an independent event over Wrestlemania Weekend where some WWE stars got to compete) but the D’Angelo Family comes in. Insults are exchanged and a match is made.

Je’Von Evans vs. Scrypts

Evans is a 19 year old who has done rather well on NXT LVL Up and the rest of OTM is here with Scrypts. They flip around to start with Evans getting two off a rollup but missing some right hands. Scrypts trips him off the middle rope though and a standing shooting star press gets two. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Evans is back up with a springboard kick to the face. A Cody Cutter gives Evans two so Scrypts bails outside, where Evans hits a big dive. Back in and Evans kicks him down, setting up a springboard spinning splash for the pin at 4:32.

Rating: C+. Evans isn’t someone who is doing something new but he looked good doing what he was doing out there. NXT needs to bring in some fresh names at some point and that is what they are doing here. Yeah it’s just a win over Scrypts but it’s a place to start and that is more than some people get.

We look at Ridge Holland, on the broadcasting team, attacking Joe Gacy on the Stand & Deliver Kickoff Show.

Holland says he lost it but Gacy pops in to mock Holland for his career falling apart. The LWO comes in to say they don’t buy the apology tour. Holland walks by Joaquin Wilde and slams a door on his arm.

Women’s Title: Natalya vs. Roxanne Perez

Perez is defending and gets taken to the mat to start. They head outside with Natalya hitting a clothesline as we take an early break. Back with Natalya fighting out of an abdominal stretch and grabbing a surfboard. The fight heads outside again, this time with Natalya being sent into the steps.

A bodyscissors keeps Natalya in trouble but she’s right back out with a German suplex for two. The Sharpshooter is broken up and they trade rollups for two each. The crossface doesn’t work for Perez either and Natalya blocks Pop Rox, setting up the Sharpshooter. Perez makes it over to the rope and cue Lola Vice for a cheap shot, allowing Pop Rox to retain the title at 11:28.

Rating: C+. The ending likely sets up something for Natalya and Vice in the future, which should be fine enough. The more important thing here though is Perez getting a win to start off her new title reign. Perez is starting to to feel the heel stuff and if she can turn that into a more long term thing, she’ll be a star for a very long time.

The Wolfdogs still can’t agree if they’re a good team but they know it’s working.

Lola Vice says she’s tired of waiting for her chance so she made it herself. Natalya jumps her from behind and it’s broken up.

No Quarter Catch Crew vs. D’Angelo Family

Kemp takes Crusifino down without much trouble to start and hands it off to Borne. That means Stacks can come in to fire off some knees in the corner as everything breaks down. Charlie Dempsey pulls Borne out of the way of a charge though and Kemp comes back in with a suplex to take over. Stacks rolls away though and it’s back to Crusifino, who sends the Crew into each other. Dempsey is brought back inside for a distraction, meaning it’s a Shatter Machine to finish Kemp at 4:02.

Rating: C. This was a bit of a wild match which didn’t have much time to go anywhere. What matters is the Family getting a win back after Tony D’Angelo lost his big title shot at Stand & Deliver. I doubt this is going to lead anywhere bit for them but it’s better than losing again, with the interference making it a bit more impressive.

Here is Oba Femi to say that while Dijak and Josh Briggs are tough, his dominance was inevitable. Cue Ivar of all people who said he loved seeing those three monsters beating each other up for that title, which is exactly the type of fight that he is looking form. He wanted in the fight because he knows he can chop Femi down and take the title. Femi seems game and the fight is on with Ivar knocking him down and holding up the title.

Meta Four brags about their hosting prowess but Dijak interrupts to complain about their recent skit. This is their one warning.

Jaida Parker vs. Brinley Reece

The rest of OTM and Edris Enofe/Malik Blade are here too. Parker powers her into the corner to start and knocks Reece down as we take an early break. Back with Reece not being able to fight out of an armbar. Parker lets her go and hits a middle rope Blockbuster for two. The chinlock with a knee in the back keeps Reece in trouble but she comes back up with some shoulders. A running clothesline gets two on Parker, followed by a spinebuster for the same. Back up and Parker hits a running hip to the face out of nowhere for the fast pin at 7:53.

Rating: C. Parker continues to feel like someone who could be a star if given the chance and getting a win here should help her move forward. She has a long way to go but every step helps. At the same time you have Reece, who is doing well with being all positive, but she needs to actually beat someone.

Arianna Grace tells Sol Ruca that she’s almost ready to unveil Gigi Dolin but Lola vice comes in to rant. Ruca doesn’t think much of it and sneering ensues.

Tag Team Titles: Axiom/Nathan Frazer vs. Wolfdogs

The Wolfdogs are defending. Breakker works on Axiom’s arm to start but Axiom scores with a quick dropkick. Back up and Breakker hits a heck of a running shoulder so it’s off to Corbin for a choke throw to Frazer. Frazer fights up and the champs are cleared out, with Axiom hitting a big moonsault out to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Corbin hitting a powerslam for two on Axiom. Some kicks get Axiom out of trouble and it’s back to Frazer, who reverses Breakker’s gorilla press into a DDT for two. The springboard 450 gets two more but Breakker isn’t having this. The gorilla pres powerslam gets two on Axiom, who gets back over for the tag to Frazer. Everything breaks down and the Steiner Bulldog gets two on Frazer, with Axiom having to make the save.

Frazer’s dive to the floor is cut off and he gets sent hard into the steps, leaving Axiom to Golden Ratio Breakker. That doesn’t keep him down for very long but Breakker’s spear almost hits Corbin. Axiom kicks them together though, meaning it’s a Golden Ratio to Corbin, setting up the 450 to give Frazer the pin and the titles at 11:34.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t quite as good as the match at Stand & Deliver but it still felt like a big deal, especially with the title change. I’m not usually big on the idea of doing a rematch so soon after the pay per view but maybe this was a way to give Breakker a win on the big stage while avoiding the likelihood that he got a big post-Wrestlemania Raw appearance. What matters is Breakker is freed from the Wolfdogs and can go on to become an even bigger star on Smackdown, as he should be.

Post match the new champs celebrate….and the Final Testament is here to jump them.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Here is Trick Williams after his win over Carmelo Hayes at Stand & Deliver. Williams is happy for his win but there is no Hayes here this week. He might not agree with Hayes, but Hayes is Him. That’s why he had to show Hayes who Williams really is, but now we need to know what is next for him. That would be winning the NXT Title by defeating Ilja Dragunov.

Cue Dragunov to praise Williams for his success and charisma. He’s exactly what NXT needs, but Williams says we need these two for the title one more time. That’s going to be a no, because Williams has already had his shot. Williams can go with that and asks who he has to beat next. Dragunov is willing to give him his title shot in two weeks, but if Williams loses, he leaves NXT.

Williams is in so Dragunov goes to leave, but here is Carmelo Hayes to jump Williams from behind, knocking him into Dragunov. Hayes stomps away and says it’s a cage match with Williams next week. He holds up the title to end the show. Williams almost has to win the title given those stipulations, but dang they are moving through that rather quickly.

Overall Rating: B-. It was a fast moving show and it went well, with a quick recap from Saturday and things being set up for the next few weeks. The title change felt like a big deal and there are enough things coming to keep things interesting. The wrestling worked well too and it made for a better show than I would have expected. It’s nice to have what feels like a regular show rather than another big recap with a little bit happening, though I’m not surprised as NXT made it work.

Results
Kiana James/Izzi Dame b. Fallon Henley/Kelani Jordan – 401K to Henley
Je’Von Evans b. Scrypts – Springboard spinning splash
Roxanne Perez b. Natalya – Pop Rox
D’Angelo Family b. No Quarter Catch Crew – Shatter Machine to Kemp
Jaida Parker b. Brinley Reece – Running hip attack
Axiom/Nathan Frazer b. Wolfdogs – 450 to Corbin

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw – April 8, 2024: The Finale

Monday Night Raw
Date: April 8, 2024
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the last show of Wrestlemania Weekend and we’ve got a lot of fallout to deal with this week. The biggest story is of course Cody Rhodes defeating Roman Reigns to end the three and a half year WWE Universal Title reign and finishing the story. Now we got to see where things go from here and it should be interesting. Let’s get to it.

Here is Wrestlemania Night One and Night Two if you need a recap.

I was in the arena for this show, sitting in the corner of the arena with the entrance on my upper left.

Here is HHH to get things going and the fans are rather thankful for him. Ironically, he was coming out here to thank them! Looking at all of the numbers, we just got done with the biggest and greatest Wrestlemania of all time. On Saturday, he welcomed us to a new era, and here is the man leading us into that new era.

Cue Cody Rhodes to quite the hero’s welcome. Before HHH leaves, he congratulates Rhodes for ending one of the greatest title runs of all time at the greatest Wrestlemania of all time. On his first night as champion, Rhodes is responsible for a record gate of over 20,000 people. In addition, on his first night as champion, some people in the production office have made a little something for him. There’s no Titantron, so Rhodes has to watch a musical tribute to him on a portable monitor (with HHH making a joke about it).

After some tears are shed, HHH leaves and Cody asks what the fans want to talk about. First, he has Samantha Irvin announce him as the new champion one more time. Two years ago, Cody returned to WWE and announced his dreams, but now those dreams are reality. He and the fans are on top of the mountain and the previous man on top of that mountain has to be acknowledged as well.

That gives us a THANK YOU ROMAN chant before Cody shows us a clip of his daughter telling him to finish the story. Cody wanted his daughter to know that when her daddy goes to work, he’s going to work as champion. He was once undesirable, then he was undeniable, and now he is undisputed.

Cue the Rock and the fans know this is about to get serious. The fans won’t let him talk, with an UNDERTAKER (McAfee: “TOO SOON!”) chant, followed by SHUT THE F*** UP. Rock says he is a lot of things but “sucks” is not one of them. Rock finally gets some words in by saying he is here to deliver flowers to Cody Rhodes but there is another announcement to make: Philadelphia has set the record for the largest gathering of trailer part trash in history. Rock tells the fans they can keep going with their “SHUT THE F*** UP” chants (muted on TV, not in the arena, which is bizarre to hear in WWE).

Rock gets a bit more quiet and talks about their history, including how happy Mama Rhodes was last night. You know who else was smiling? Dusty Rhodes up in Heaven. Dusty was Rock’s hero and their dads ran the roads together. Maybe Rock’s daddy wasn’t happy with what Rock did to Cody….but he doesn’t care.

Rock talks about Cody’s belt and says the People’s Title he has is real too. But maybe….could he hold Cody’s title? He’s held every title, except for that one. Cody says Rock can hold his if Cody can hold Rock’s, so they switch off for a bit. Rock puts the title on his shoulder (fans: “THIS IS AWKWARD!”) and says it feels right before they switch back.

As Cody knows, the Rock has got to go away for a little while, but he loves wrestling and the two of them made it cool again. The fans sing the Goodbye Song but Rock says he’ll be back for Cody one day. While Cody might have beaten Roman Reigns, Rock beat Cody the night before.

Cody talks about Rock being the Boss, but he’s the champion. He’s the people’s champion and the Rock’s champion. Rock agrees and says he has something for Cody. He reaches into his pocket and hands it to Cody without us seeing it. Rock says don’t you ever break his heart again, if you smell what he’s cooking. Rock leaves and we still don’t know what he handed Cody.

And with that, we’re 45 minutes into the show. This was a weird segment as they went on for a long time but didn’t actually say much. It was basically “Wrestlemania was great, thank you fans, Cody is great, Cody talks about how he did it, Rock comes out, says he’s leaving, awkward exchange, Rock gives him something. That was about a fourth of the show and they more or less just teased Rock vs. Cody for later.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Ilja Dragunov

Dragunov’s NXT Title is not on the line and we seemingly have our first cameo. Nakamura kicks him in the face at the bell and knocks him down again a few times. Dragunov is back up with a jumping kick to the head into a middle rope dropkick. A German suplex into the Constantine Special (a whip into the ropes reversed into a 619 to set up a clothesline) drops Nakamura again but he’s back up with a kick to the head.

Kinshasa is reversed into another German suplex but Nakamura hits a running knee into the back of the head for two. Dragunov knees him in the face and hits a powerbomb, followed by the H Bomb (a big dropping fist to the face). Torpedo Moscow (a running headbutt to the standing Nakamura) finishes for Dragunov at 4:13.

Rating: C+. Nakamura got in some offense to start but Dragunov fought back and took over before winning with all of his power offense. That’s where Dragunov tends to shine and he made it work here. He could survive on the main roster and it wouldn’t shock me to see him get just that chance.

We look at Drew McIntyre winning the World Heavyweight Championship, only to talk too much trash to CM Punk. As a result, Punk took him out, allowing Damian Priest to cash in Money In The Bank to win the title about five minutes after McIntyre won it in the first place.

Partial Wrestlemania recap.

Here is most of Judgment Day to brag about the team’s success at Wrestlemania. Cue Rhea Ripley (the fans seem to like her) to brag about retaining her title. With Ripley’s topness confirmed, here is Damian Priest for the big celebration. Fans: “YOU DESERVE IT!” Priest: “You d*** right I do.” The team poses with their titles but R-Truth pops up behind them. He brought the Tag Team Titles back to the team and thinks it’s time to induct Miz.

Cue Miz, who doesn’t want to be in the Judgment Day. He knows R-Truth doesn’t want to be in the team either (Priest: “He’s not in the Judgment Day!” R-Truth: “I am in the Judgment Day!”) and introduces Awesome Truth as the new champs. Finn Balor wants a title shot right now but R-Truth says there are three of them. The challenge is thrown out for a six man, with R-Truth saying they can team with “the guy you can’t see”. Works for Judgment Day, who don’t come off as very bright here.

Judgment Day vs. Awesome Truth/???

Awesome Truth is jumped and sent to the floor as we take an early break. Back with the match (billed as a handicap match) joined in progress and McDonagh kicking away at Truth. The chinlock doesn’t last long as R-Truth is up to avoid a splash in the corner. Miz comes in and kicks away, including a double DDT to Mysterio and McDonagh. The Skull Crushing Finale is broken up and Miz scores with a clothesline to take over.

We take another break and come back with Miz kicking McDonagh away but Mysterio pulls R-Truth off the apron. And here’s John Cena, which somehow only Judgment Day and commentary didn’t figure out. Cena gets the tag almost immediately and house is cleaned, setting up triple Shuffles and triple AA’s for the triple pin on Judgment Day at 10:05.

Rating: C. Oh this was fine with the match being nothing of note until Cena came out there for one of the most obvious reveals in a long time. That being said, this is what Cena is perfect for these days: he can be put in there as a hot tag guy and pop the crowd with his usual stuff. It’s nothing but a cameo but on this kind of a show, he’s the exact right option and didn’t hurt anything whatsoever.

We look at Bronson Reed winning the Andre The Giant Battle Royal.

Reed promises to break people in the ring. Tonight, he’s in a four way for a show at Damian Priest’s World Heavyweight Championship.

Rhea Ripley tells Dominik Mysterio to go deal with Andrade. Dominik goes off to talk to Adam Pearce…and Liv Morgan throws a chair at Ripley’s head, kicking off a beatdown.

Indi Hartwell vs. Roxanne Perez

Perez’s NXT Women’s Title isn’t on the line and Hartwell has Candice LeRae in her corner. Perez offers a handshake but slaps her in the face instead. Some forearms to the back let Perez shout at Hartwell a lot before she starts in on the leg. Hartwell makes the clothesline comeback but LeRae trips her up. Hartwell doesn’t like that so the referee goes to yell at LeRae. That leaves Perez to rake the eyes and grab Pop Rox (Code Red) for the pin at 2:44.

We look at more from Wrestlemania.

Sami Zayn and Jey Uso celebrate Zayn’s Intercontinental Title win.

Roxanne Perez runs into Natalya and a match for NXT is teased.

Here is Sami Zayn for a chat, though first we need the YOU DESERVE IT chants. He’s done some historic things in recent years at Wrestlemania and he wanted to do it again this year. Zayn thinks he did, but the real historic champion is Gunther, who is the best Intercontinental Champion of all time. Zayn: “But guess what? I BEAT HIM!”

Zayn thanks the fans for their help, along with his family and Kevin Owens. There is one more person who helped him…and here is Imperium before he can say anyone’s name. Ludwig Kaiser talks about how sickening it is to see Zayn holding that title so they are ready to do something about it. Cue Chad Gable and I think you know where this is going.

Sheamus is coming back. Yeah that’s where I thought the previous segment was going too.

Chad Gable/Sami Zayn vs. Imperium

Gable rolls Vinci up to start and armdrags him into an armbar. Kaiser comes in to send Zayn into the buckle but Zayn fights out of the corner. Imperium is sent outside and Gable takes them both down with a big dive. A high crossbody gets two in Vinci back inside but Imperium comes back with the Tree of Woe stereo dropkicks.

We take a break and come back with Zayn Blue Thunder Bombing his way to freedom, allowing the tag to Gable. The top rope headbutt gets two on Vinci but a kick to the head cuts Gable off. The Imperium Bomb gets two with Zayn making the save, only to be sent outside. Gable has to break up another Imperium Bomb and suplexes Kaiser out of the air. Stereo German suplexes have Imperium down and Zayn grabs an ankle lock of all things. That’s broken up so Zayn hits an exploder to send Vinci into the corner. The Helluva Kick sets up Rolling Chaos Theory to give Gable the pin at 12:24.

Rating: C+. This felt like a way to set up a Gable vs. Zayn title match down the line and that’s all it should be. That’s the story that has been established and now all we need to do is see where things go from here. Getting Zayn out there is a good idea and Gable getting the pin was a nice little perk for him. Nothing remarkable as a match but it will likely do what it needs to do.

Jey Uso is ready to give the other three a YEET down.

Andrade meets with the three General Managers but quickly leaves. They talk about the Draft and how great Wrestlemania went but Chelsea Green interrupts. She’s not happy with missing Wrestlemania and yes the bosses got her messages. Pearce has something planned for her and she can head to the ring right now, though she’ll have to escort herself.

We hear about the recent attendance success. That’s worth bragging about.

Chelsea Green vs. ???

It’s Jade Cargill, who finishes with Jaded at 31 seconds. That’s all it needed to be, though commentary did get in some escort jokes of their own.

NXT – April 2, 2024: Before They All Rise

NXT
Date: April 2, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

It’s the go home show for Stand & Deliver and the only thing left to do is figure out the Tag Team Title situation. The champs need their last challengers and we’ll figure that out this week. Other than that, Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are in the house before their Stand & Deliver main event. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contender Tournament Finals: Axiom/Nathan Frazier vs. LWO vs. OC

For the Stand & Deliver Tag Team Title shot. The OC gets jumped to start fast until Gallows hits Axiom in the mask to take over. Wilde takes Anderson down but Axiom grabs a standing Spanish Fly on Wilde to even things up. Wilde’s umping neckbreaker gets two on Frazier but the OC pulls Axiom and Frazier out of the corner. That leaves the LWO to hit stereo missile dropkicks on Gallows.

We take a break and come back with Wilde hitting a springboard DDT for two on Gallows with a bunch of people making a save. Frazier goes up and dives onto Gallows and Frazier on the floor but Axiom’s dive is shoved away by Anderson. Del Toro hits a dive onto the pile but a Magic Killer puts him own inside. The OC is taken out though and Frazier hits a 450 to pin Del Toro at 10:49.

Rating: B-. Well at least it wasn’t the OC. Axiom and Frazer have been built up as a team for a good while now and it is nice to see them getting a shot after a long time. I’m not sure if they’re going to win the titles, but at least they’re on the big show and in a prominent spot. It’s hard to imagine the Wolfdogs keep the titles much longer so Axiom and Frazier could be in a nice spot if the reign is already coming to an end.

Axiom and Frazier promise to win the Tag Team Titles.

Lexis King isn’t worried about Mr. Stone or Von Wagner because Wagner can’t do anything without Stone, who isn’t here this week.

Ilja Dragunov finds a boot on his car and has to accept a ride to dinner from some D’Angelo Family associates.

Fallon Henley vs. Jacy Jayne

Henley has Thea Hail and Kelani Jordan while Jayne has Izzy Dame, Kiana James and Izzi Dame. They go to the mat with a lockup to start and Booker goes into a ridiculous long rant about…something. Henley gets knocked outside and gets dropkicked in the face to make it worse. Back in and Henley is sent into the buckles a few times for two and we hit the chinlock. Henley fights up so James offers a distraction, meaning the brawl starts up outside. That’s enough to distract Henley so Jayne can knee her in the face for the pin at 3:59.

Rating: C. This still feels like the preview for a Kickoff Show six woman tag and that wouldn’t be a bad way to start. Henley was protected here as it took all of Jayne’s friends to distract her enough for the pin. Jayne is still firmly in the midcard, but putting her over a group of women is not the worst idea.

Post match Jayne and company go to the back with Jayne yelling about how she was never Thea Hail’s friend but now she’s back to where she should be. Ava, at the production desk, gets rid of them but hail and company come in. The six woman tag is set for Stand & Deliver. Ah there it is.

Video on Josh Briggs.

Lexis King vs. Von Wagner

Wagner charges in and starts fast with King being sent outside for a whip into the barricade. Back in and Briggs misses a charge into the corner, allowing King to drop some elbows for two. King’s right hands annoy Wagner but King pulls him down into a chinlock. Wagner fights up and hits a powerslam, followed by a big boot as the comeback is on. They go outside with Wagner setting up the announcers’ table but King reverses a powerbomb into a DDT. Back in and the Coronation finishes for King at 5:53.

Rating: C. This was nothing special as it was more about King getting a win over someone with some status. Granted Wagner’s status isn’t all that high but it means more than beating Mr. Stone. Wagner continues to be in a weird spot as it feels like he is ready for a big push and then something like this happens. Maybe it happens down the road but it’s not working yet.

Ava tells Carmelo Hayes that his match with Trick Williams will have slightly relaxed rules. Works for Hayes.

Natalya coaches up Karmen Petrovic before she faces Lola Vice. Roxanne Perez comes in to say there was a time when she would have listened to Natalya too.

Arianna Grace is ready to make Gigi Dolin over but Wren Sinclair says that might not be a good idea. Grace wants a match as a result.

Karmen Petrovic vs. Lola Vice

Natalya is here with Petrovic. Some kicks miss for Petrovic but she takes over on the mat instead. Back up and Vice takes her down by the leg but can’t get an ankle lock. Vice kicks her down again and we hit the chinlock. Petrovic fights up and fires off more kicks, including a spinning kick to the back for two. Back up and Vice strikes away again, setting up a Sharpshooter (with a glare at Natalya) for the tap at 3:48.

Rating: C. It’s kind of amazing how much the addition of Natalya brings down the interest in a match. That was the case here, as we seem to be coming up on a Natalya vs. Vice match and while that should help Vice, it’s not the most interesting thing in the world. Petrovic has some pieces that could work out well, but it’s not quite coming together just yet.

Ilja Dragunov arrives at a rather scary looking warehouse for dinner. Tony D’Angelo and the D’Angelo Family arrive, with Tony sitting down but no one says anything.

It’s time for Supernova Sessions with Lyra Valkyria and Roxanne Perez as the guests. Perez doesn’t like Valkyria, who says Perez isn’t Women’s Champion because Indi Hartwell can climb a ladder faster than her. Then Lola Vice cost her the title at Vengeance Day by cashing in her briefcase. It’s NEVER Perez’s fault but Perez promises to watch Valkyria fall off her high horse and take the title.

Perez has that in her now and no she isn’t broken. Losing the title only made her more dangerous but Valkyria is already ready for the excuses. Valkyria says Perez will have a lot to b**** about after Stand & Deliver but Perez promises to have a year’s worth of rage ready to go. Then Valkyria puts her through the table and holds up the title.

Video on Dijak.

Oba Femi is ready to crush Josh Briggs and Dijak.

Oba Femi vs. Joe Gacy

Non-title. Hold on though as Shawn Spears jumps Gacy from behind with a chair and tells him to laugh. Gacy wants to fight anyway so the bell rings, with Femi slugging him down and stomping away. Some elbows give Femi two and there’s a running elbow to send Gacy outside. With Gacy up on the apron, Femi hits a clothesline from the floor but Gacy manages a suplex back inside. Femi shrugs it off and hits Snake Eyes before throwing Gacy down with ease…and the referee stops the match at 3:47.

Rating: C. I could go for a monster like Femi who gets one win after another by just wrecking people. It worked well here and doing it again and again could develop quite the reputation. Femi already feels like a monster and beating up Gacy is something that will push him even higher up the ladder.

Tatum Paxley asks Lyra Valkyria what that was about, with Valkyria saying she’ll do anything to keep the title, even if it means not being herself.

Wren Sinclair vs. Arianna Grace

Sinclair rolls out of a wristlock to start and hits a sliding faceplant for two. Grace fights out of the corner but Sinclair goes old school with an atomic drop of all things. Back up and Grace knocks her into the corner, setting up a Boston crab to keep Sinclair in trouble. With that broken up, another Boston crab attempt is blocked, allowing Sinclair to hit a running clothesline. Sinclair misses a charge though and Grace rolls her up, with a grab of the ropes, for the pin at 3:55.

Rating: C. Another short and to the point match here with Grace cheating to win like a good villain should. Grace’s heel push is starting to come together and it’s going to go a lot better when the Gigi Dolin stuff is added. For now, not much of a match, which is the norm for Sinclair, who loses every time she’s out there but does well in defeat.

We run through the Wrestlemania Week schedule.

Stand & Deliver rundown.

We go back to the dinner, where Tony D’Angelo says he fixed Ilja Dragunov’s parking situation. Dragunov thinks D’Angelo will go a long way to make things happen and D’Angelo promises to make this look like nothing at Stand & Deliver. Dragunov says D’Angelo is the Don but he is Ilja Dragunov, the NXT Champion (that was a hero line if I’ve ever heard one). D’Angelo grabs Dragunov’s injured hand and leaves him alone. Enjoy the last supper.

Sol Ruca vs. Blair Davenport

Davenport jumps her to start but Ruca fights back with a rather devastating….uh, armbar. That’s the hold of revenge you see. Davenport fights up but gets caught in a fireman’s carry drop for her efforts. A clothesline puts Davenport on the floor, where she sends Ruca knee first into the steps.

We take a break and come back with Ruca hitting a dropkick but favoring her bad knee. Davenport goes after the knee, only to get suplexed over the top for a double crash out to the floor. Back in and a one legged springboard splash gets two on Davenport, followed by a top rope cartwheel DDT for two. Davenport is back up with the Falcon Arrow and tries the big knee, only to get rolled up to give Ruca the pin at 9:16.

Rating: C+. It was nice to see a match get some time for a change on this show as there is only so much you can get out of another short one. Ruca gets her revenge on Davenport for putting her out of action for so long, though I was expecting something more than just a rollup pin. It should do for now though as Ruca can get away from Davenport and move on to something else.

Dijak and Josh Briggs argue over who will be North American Champion. Oba Femi comes in to say he’ll still be champion after Stand & Deliver.

Ava is proud of the Stand & Deliver card when Joe Gacy, barely able to move, pops up to say he’s fine. She gives him Shawn Spears at Stand & Deliver.

Here are Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams, surrounded by a bunch of security, for a chat. They are the first two black men to main event a Wrestlemania Weekend show ever but Williams doesn’t like that he is going to war with his brother. Hayes says they have come a long way from their Smackdown dark match in Virginia. They argue over whose fault their split was, with Hayes going into an analogy comparing the titles to their girlfriends. Williams lost his title and went after Hayes’ title instead.

Hayes thinks Williams believed the hype and tried to take Hayes’ spot. Williams says his days of taking a backseat are over but Hayes says Williams has been around for six months. Hayes has been around for three years and the people are going to turn on Williams fast. At Stand & Deliver, Hayes will show Williams how it works around here. The fight is on with security being cleared out, leaving the brawl to continue. The locker room breaks it up to end the show. This was pretty by the book as a way to wrap up a go home show but it’s a hot enough feud to overcome most of its problems.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was in a tough spot as Stand & Deliver, or at least the important parts, have been set for weeks. The six woman tag and Spears vs. Gacy are hardly major stories but we got a nice focus on the Women’s Title and the main event. Those matches alone should be enough to carry the show, and now we have the Tag Team Title match set as well. The action tonight was mainly filler and that is going to happen on a show like this. At the same time, they didn’t do anything too bad and enough was advanced so we’ll call this an acceptable show before the big day this weekend.

Results
Axiom/Nathan Frazier b. OC and LWO – 450 to Del Toro
Jacy Jayne b. Fallon Henley – Running knee
Lexis King b. Von Wagner – Coronation
Lola Vice b. Karmen Petrovic – Sharpshooter
Oba Femi b. Joe Gacy via referee stoppage
Arianna Grace b. Wren Sinclair – Rollup while holding the ropes
Sol Ruca b. Blair Davenport – Rollup

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Great American Bash 2008 (2024 Edition): See You Next Show

Great American Bash 2008
Date: July 20, 2008
Location: Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Attendance: 12,454
Commentators: Jim Ross, Mick Foley, Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, Tazz, Mike Adamle

We’re wrapping up the period before the Summerslam build here and the card is one sided to put it mildly. The Smackdown side is pretty much Edge challenging HHH for the Smackdown World Title, plus a four way Tag Team Title match. On the other side, Raw has John Cena vs. JBL in a parking lot fight, CM Punk defending the Raw World Title against Batista and Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho in a grudge match. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at Vickie Guerrero and Edge’s wedding, plus HHH revealing that Edge cheated on her the night before to end Smackdown. The other big matches get some attention of their own.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Edgeheads vs. Miz/John Morrison vs. Finlay/Hornswoggle vs. Jesse and Festus

Miz and Morrison are defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Festus clears the ring as tends to be his custom before Hornswoggle comes in for a stare…uh, up. Hornswoggle rolls up his sleeves but opts to dive onto Miz and Morrison instead. We settle down to Jesse monkey flipping Miz and knocking him down again for two. Festus beats on Miz as well before handing it off to Finlay. Morrison comes in and actually takes over on Finlay before bringing Miz back in for a chinlock.

It’s back to Morrison for his own chinlock as JR continues his Morrison to Rick Rude comparisons. Finlay fights up and double legs Miz down before doing the same thing to beat on Morrison. They collide in the corner so Ryder tags himself in to hammer Finlay down. The neck crank doesn’t last long on Finlay so Hawkins comes in to keep Finlay in trouble.

The Celtic Cross hits Hawkins and a shillelagh shot gets two, with Miz and Morrison making the save. Hawkins grabs a chinlock but Finlay is back up again, this time getting over to Hornswoggle to pick up the pace. Jesse tags himself in just as fast though and the fans are not pleased with the lack of Hornswoggle. Hawkins comes back in for a cheap shot on Hornswoggle but it’s back to Festus to really clean house. Miz and Morrison are sent outside and Hawkins breaks up the Rocket Launcher to pin Jesse and win the titles.

Rating: C+. It was a fast paced opener with a bunch of moving parts but they managed to keep the focus on just a few people at a time until the ending. Hawkins and Ryder winning the titles is the right way to go as Miz and Morrison have gotten everything they can out of them and La Familia is still the biggest thing on Smackdown. Give the team some more gold, as it’s not like Jesse and Festus or Hornswoggle/Finlay are worth anything.

US Title: Matt Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin

Hardy is defending and is quickly taken to the mat to start. A small package gives Hardy two as well as a breather but Benjamin is right back with a headlock. That’s reversed into an armbar as they’re certainly starting slowly. Benjamin sends him to the apron for a ram into the post, setting up the armbar back inside. A gutbuster sets up the seated abdominal stretch as commentary talks about Benjamin’s aggression, despite there being nothing to suggest it exists here.

Hardy fights up and tries a Side Effect but gets planted with something like an STO. Back up and Hardy blocks Paydirt to start the comeback and hits the bulldog out of the corner. Hardy’s middle rope hurricanrana is countered into a heck of a buckle bomb and they’re both down. A Side Effect gives Hardy two but the moonsault…I think it was supposed to hit knees but Hardy overshot it anyway. Paydirt gives Benjamin the pin and the title.

Rating: C. The match was far from bad, but it wasn’t exactly thrilling, as it came off as more of a house show match. The ending didn’t help things either as commentary had to scramble to cover Hardy missing. It’s not like hardy was doing anything with the title anyway so switching it over to Benjamin works as well as anything else.

We see an interview from Monday, with CM Punk talking about how he’s always been the underdog. It’s not about your size or muscle and he’s in the business of proving everyone wrong, which is what he’s always done.

We look at HHH revealing that Edge cheated on Vickie Guerrero the day before their wedding.

ECW Title: Mark Henry vs. Tommy Dreamer

Henry is defending and has Tony Atlas in his corner while Dreamer has Colin Delaney. Dreamer charges at him and is quickly shoved into the corner, with Henry throwing him around again for a bonus. A hard clothesline puts Dreamer down again and Henry steps on his head as a few BORING chants start up.

Henry works on the arm (which is code for he leans over and grabs the wrist), Dreamer fights up, Henry takes him down and works on the arm again. The splash misses though and Dreamer hits the basement dropkick but has to escape the World’s Strongest Slam. The DDT puts Henry down and Dreamer goes up for no apparent reason, allowing Delaney to pull him down. Henry hits the World’s Strongest Slam to retain.

Rating: D+. This was a good example of everything that is wrong with ECW. First of all, there was no reason to believe Dreamer was going to take the title. He hasn’t been nearly that important for a long time now and it wasn’t going to change here. Second, the Delaney turn doesn’t mean much as he’s a loser who didn’t exactly become a star when he was with Dreamer. Third, the match was really boring, which is quite ECW in a lot of ways. Rather dull stuff here and by far the worst thing on the show.

We recap Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels, and thank goodness as the show needs it. Jericho claimed Michaels is a hypocrite (and was kind of right) and then took out his eye. Now Michaels is back for revenge and to prove that no matter what Jericho does, Michaels will always be better.

Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho

They lock up to start and thankfully drop that in all of two seconds to start hitting each other in the face. Shawn gets the better of things with some chops and knocks Jericho into the corner before going after the leg. The reverse Figure Four has Jericho in early trouble but he’s in the ropes pretty quickly. Shawn stays on the leg and the referee stops things for a second to check on Jericho in the corner.

Jericho is fine enough to send Shawn over the corner and out to the apron, with Shawn favoring his back. The knee is fine enough to hit a triangle dropkick out to the floor before Jericho takes him inside for a double arm crank. With that broken up, Jericho dives into an atomic drop and Shawn drops him with the flying forearm. Shawn nips up but Jericho pulls him straight into the Walls, which is counter you don’t see very often.

This time Shawn makes the rope so Jericho loads up the bulldog, only to get dropped with a clothesline for two. The top rope elbow is broken up but Shawn wins a fight on top and now the elbow connects. Cue Lance Cade to break up the superkick but Shawn blocks the Codebreaker. They slug it out again until Shawn hiptosses him out onto Cade for the big crash. Naturally Shawn is right there with a moonsault onto the two of them and everyone is down again.

Back in and Shawn’s bad eye is busted open, with commentary not being sure when it was cut. Naturally Jericho goes right after the eye and knocks him into the ropes, where Cade gets in the cheap shot. The very bloody Shawn manages to pull him into a crossface but Jericho pulls him into the buckle for the violent escape. The referee wants to stop it but Shawn begs him not to, meaning Jericho is right back on the eye. Shawn is COVERED in blood and does the “pull myself up on the other guy’s tights” spot, only to have Jericho punch him down again and hammer away….until the referee finally stops it.

Rating: B+. This took some time to get going but there is almost no one better than Shawn at making you think he was dying in front of your eyes. Shawn was trying to fight and was still in there until the injury flared up again, along with Cade offering the distraction. This felt like the big middle piece in a bigger story and they pulled me in with the emotion and hatred. Awesome match and we’re almost certainly not done yet.

We get the emotional exit for Shawn, who has to be helped out.

Edge is really not pleased with HHH for violating his privacy and taking away his personal life. All Edge has left is his professional life and tonight, he will be extra dangerous.

Divas Title: Michelle McCool vs. Natalya

For the inaugural title but commentary is to busy talking about Edge/Vickie Guerrero. They grapple to the mat to start as commentary compares McCool to softball star Jennie Finch. Natalya wheelbarrow drops her throat first over the top to take over and we hit the surfboard to stay on McCool’s….well various parts. McCool powers out so Natalya switches to the Sharpshooter. That’s broken up as well and this time McCool pulls her into the heel hook for the title.

Rating: C-. These two were in the death slot as there was almost no way they were going to be able to follow the previous match. It doesn’t help that the match was almost a Natalya squash until McCool got in her one hold for the win. It’s rather nice for the women on Smackdown to have something to do, but they could use some more blood in the division or it is going to turn old fast.

Post match here is Chris Jericho to interrupt, saying you need to save your ticket stubs because this is the night of Shawn Michaels’ last match. Shawn has a detached retina and that means his career is over. It shows that the good guys win and the wicked are punished and the worst has finally come for Shawn. Jericho was feeling the evil here and it worked.

We recap CM Punk defending the World Title against Batista. Punk won Money In The Bank and used it to become champion, meaning he needs to prove himself worthy. Batista doesn’t seem to be overly intimidated so Punk is extra motivated.

Raw World Title: Batista vs. CM Punk

Punk is defending and we go old school with a weapons check. Batista powers him around to start and Punk realizes he might need another plan. Some kicks to the legs slow Batista down but he elbows Punk in the face to cut him off. An enziguri knocks Batista outside and Punk follows him outside with a suicide dive.

Back in and Punk strikes away, only to be run over to give Batista two. The camel clutch goes on to keep Punk in trouble, which is broken up as camel clutches tend to be. Punk gets up a shot to the face in the corner and hits a high crossbody for two. The Batista Bomb is countered but a powerslam isn’t, meaning Punk has to counter the Bomb again.

Punk hits the running knee in the corner but can’t hit the GTS, instead settling for the springboard clothesline. The Anaconda Vice (been a minute since Punk used that) is broken up and Batista hits a heck of a clothesline. Batista’s charge hits the post and he falls outside, where he is able to catch a diving Punk with a spinebuster. Cue Kane to jump Batista for the DQ.

Rating: C+. They were starting to get somewhere but then just stopped for the DQ ending. This is either setting up a triple threat (erg) or Punk vs. Batista II, but Punk needs to win something on a big stage. It was bad enough that he got the title via Money In The Bank, but he’s lucky to crack the top five stars on Raw. This didn’t help things, though I guess Batista needed to be kept strong. Granted that makes me wonder why he was in the match in the first place, but I can picture Vince’s “oh it’s fine” face from here so we’ll move o.

Post match Kane lays out Punk, Batista, and a production worker. With Kane gone, Batista hits the Batista Bomb on Punk to make things even worse for the champ. Somehow this is a double DQ, despite Kane not touching Punk before the bell.

We recap John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield. With Vince McMahon gone, JBL has declared martial law but Cena isn’t having it. Now they’re going to fight in a parking lot.

John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

This is taking place in the parking lot in a circle of cars and JBL shows up in his limo, fighting in most of a suit. There’s no Cena to start so JBL gets on a hood, only to have Cena pop up in another car and ram into him. Cena chokes him with a cord and then slams a car hood onto JBL’s back. Some jumper cables to the crotch set up some electrocution and JBL screams a lot.

JBL is put on another hood and Cena throws a well placed keg, only to hit windshield. With JBL trying to drive away, Cena grabs him for some rams into the horn. JBL fights back to little avail but manages to whip Cena through a car door, knocking it off the hinges. Cena gets punched off a car for two and then sent through the windshield of another for the big crash.

A crowbar shot misses for JBL and Cena slugs away but JBL sends him through a window. With nothing else working, JBL goes to grab some gasoline (with his limo rolling away) and douses one of the cars (with Cena inside). The car is lit on fire and promptly extinguished, with an annoyed looking Cena getting out. JBL goes over to a forklift but Cena is there to send him into another car.

Now Cena gets in the forklift and gores said car, only to lift it up and carry it into the arena. Commentary kicks in as Cena knocks JBL around and plants him with the ProtoBomb onto the stage. Cena loads up the FU but walks JBL over to the edge of the stage, only to take too long as JBL slips off. JBL sends him off the stage and through a windshield for the upset win.

Rating: C-. This was quite the situation and I wasn’t wild on most of it. They had a bunch of slow brawling in the back with car stuff before coming to the arena for a few minutes. JBL had to get a win of some sort but egads this means we’re going to have to hear him talk even more, which is about as painful of a thought as I can imagine. Not exactly great here, but what are you expecting from JBL?

We recap Edge vs. HHH for the latter’s Smackdown World Title. Vickie Guerrero gave Edge the title shot before their wedding but then Edge cheated on her the day before said wedding, with HHH revealing Edge’s, uh, indiscretion. Now it’s about the title, though Edge is more than a bit distracted.

HHH has no regrets over what he did.

Smackdown World Title: HHH vs. Edge

HHH is defending and we get the Big Match Intros with a weapons check. Edge charges right at him and hammers away but gets sent outside. HHH sends him outside and grabs a neck snap across the top. A ram int the buckle has Edge on the floor again but he knocks a diving HHH out of the air. Back in and Edge hits the running shoulder in the corner before sending him outside for a whip into the steps.

A drop onto the announcers’ table keeps HHH’s ribs in trouble and Edge grabs a bodyscissors back inside. HHH fights up but gets dropkicked to the apron, where he sidesteps a spear to send Edge crashing to the floor. Back in and HHH slugs away before they go outside (again) with Edge going into the post. Edge is right back up though and grabs the Impaler on the floor, which means a rather delayed cover gets two.

HHH hits his own DDT for his own two but the Pedigree is countered into the Edge-O-Matic. The spear only hits buckle but Edge’s big boot only hits HHH’s jaw, leaving them both down again. Back up and the spear is countered into the spinebuster to give HHH a much needed breather. The Pedigree is countered again, this time with a ram into the corner. Edge takes him up top for a superplex but here is wedding planner Alicia Fox to send in the title. Cue Vickie Guerrero to take Alicia down and the catfight is on in the ring. The spear hits Vickie by mistake, allowing HHH to grab the Pedigree for the pin to retain.

Rating: B. It was good but they never came close to hitting that really high level. At the same time, it didn’t help that this was more about the Vickie/Edge stuff, with the title just kind of being there on the side. These two feel like they should have had their first big match on a more important show, but at least what they got to do here did work. It just could have been a pretty good bit better.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a perfectly fine show that should have been better than it was. There were some big matches on the card and those matches worked, but the lower card stuff is completely forgettable, even with three new champions being crowned. It’s a show where things happened, but it’s not a show that felt important. Instead, it came off like a “the big one is next time”, which doesn’t make for the most enjoyable event.

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Smackdown – July 18, 2008: Stiff Trapezoids

Smackdown
Date: July 18, 2008
Location: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Jim Ross, Mick Foley

It’s the go home show for the Great American Bash and we are getting ready for HHH vs. Edge, which feels something like a major match. On paper it certainly is, but in this case the main story is the continuing saga of Edge and Vickie Guerrero. Naturally things are going well again and now we are probably on the way back towards the wedding. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of Edge and Vickie Guerrero’s rocky relationship.

And now, the wedding, with Chavo Guerrero as best man and everything seems to go off without a hitch. The reception is tonight and that’s a bit of a twist on the usual formula.

The wedding party is introduced for the reception, with the rest of La Familia and Alicia Fox waiting on the stage. Chavo welcomes Edge to the family and thinks he’ll be perfect with some of that wild side. Edge isn’t THAT wild any more though, as he never even turns his phone off anymore so he won’t miss anything from Vickie. It’s Chavo’s honor to be the best man and he’ll be there when Edge wins the World Title on Sunday. Chavo even has a mock WWE Magazine with Edge as champion on the cover. Edge says Vickie loves her action so let’s get things started.

Finlay/Hornswoggle vs. Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder

This is a preview of the four way Tag Team Title match at the Bash, also involving Jesse and Festus and Miz/John Morrison. Before the match, Edge says he’s tired of seeing Finlay and Hornswoggle cheating every week, but Hawkins and Ryder are too smart for the water guns and such. So is Edge, who will be the guest referee.

Hawkins and Ryder (and Edge) are in wedding clothes and Edge throws the shillelagh out before the bell. Finlay takes Hawkins into the corner to start but Edge breaks it up, which JR doesn’t see as the best move. Edge’s distraction lets Hawkins hammer away and it’s off to Ryder for a neckbreaker. Finlay fights up and brings in Hornswoggle to clean house but Edge hits a spear on Finlay to give Ryder the fast pin.

Post match Edge heads back to the stage for the first dance with Vickie. Cue Big Show to cut in so Edge gives him a handicap match right now.

Big Show vs. Great Khali/MVP/Shelton Benjamin/Vladimir Kozlov

So how did Edge know those four would be ready to go if this was an impromptu match? Show shoves Benjamin down without much effort to start so MVP comes in. That involves nothing physical whatsoever before it’s off to Kozlov. Show shoves him into the corner without much trouble so Khali tags himself in. A quick clothesline drops Khali and everyone else comes in for the DQ.

Post match the beatdown is on, including the chokebomb from Khali.

Post break Vickie is in the ring (you might be noticing a theme here) to throw the bouquet, with a bunch of women at ringside. Michelle McCool and Natalya get in a fight, with Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder getting rid of McCool. Cherry catches the bouquet, which earns her a match against….Vickie. But only after her first match.

Cherry vs. Natalya

They’re both in dresses and Natalya wins in less than 45 seconds.

Vickie Guerrero vs. Cherry

Vickie pins her in five seconds.

Jimmy Wang Yang vs. The Brian Kendrick

This is the debut of the new Kendrick, complete with a monster named Ezekiel. Kendrick wants nothing to do with this handshake stuff so Yang takes him down with a headlock takeover. Back up and Yang hits a running clothesline to the floor but an Ezekiel distraction lets Kendrick get in a cheap shot. Kendrick starts in on the arm back inside but charges into an elbow in the corner. A missile dropkick gives Yang two so he goes up for the moonsault, only to have Ezekiel offer a distraction. Kendrick slams him down and hits Sliced Bread #2 for the win.

Rating: C+. This was a good enough debut for the new Kendrick, with Ezekiel playing into the finish like a monster enforcer should. Kendrick’s new attitude worked well and there is some potential for him to do something with this. Yang continues to be a solid hand in the ring and is the right choice to put in a spot like this one.

Edge gets a box of Slim Jim’s, saying he’ll show his spicy side later tonight.

Mr. Kennedy vs. Umaga

Kennedy strikes away to start but Umaga gets in a hard shoulder. An even harder clothesline has Kennedy in more trouble and he runs into an elbow in the corner. This lets Umaga get in his variety of stomping/stepping on Kennedy’s head before grabbing the nerve hold. Kennedy’s comeback is cut off by a knee to the ribs and things slow right back down. We hit the nerve hold again before Umaga drops him one more time as we take a break.

Back with Umaga putting on ANOTHER nerve hold as this match will not get going. Kennedy tries to fight up but his slam attempt falls down and we are off to the fourth nerve hold. With Kennedy daring to do something, Umaga uppercuts him right back down as the fans are dying with every boring second of this mess. Kennedy fights back again and actually gets somewhere with right hands and an enziguri for two. The Mic Check is blocked though and the Samoan Spike finishes for Umaga.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t so much a bad match as much as it was terribly dull. The match was less than fifteen minutes long and it included four different nerve holds. The match just wasn’t interesting and it felt like Umaga was doing less than phoning it in. Kennedy can’t do much when his comeback is cut off time after time so the beatdown can keep going. Really dull stuff here.

Edge is in a new Slim Jim commercial.

Miz/John Morrison vs. Jesse and Festus

Non-title. Festus chases Miz and Morrison outside to start as the champs already need a breather. Morrison gets suplexed to start and Festus slams Jesse onto him for two. Back up and Morrison knocks Jesse into the corner as JR compares Morrison to Rick Rude. Jesse gets out of said corner and brings Festus back in to clean house. A Rocket Launcher top rope forearm hits Miz with Morrison having to make a save. Everything breaks down and Miz grabs the Reality Check to pin Jesse.

Rating: C. They kept this one really short and it didn’t do much to get me excited for the four way Tag Team Title match at the Bash. The champs have already beaten one of the teams, so why would I want to see Jesse and Festus getting a title shot? I get not having the champs loses here as they just lost on ECW, but it’s not the best way to go for Sunday.

Raw Rebound.

Great American Bash rundown.

Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy

Non-title and they come to the ring at the same time, though only after hitting Chavo Guerrero with a cake. Respect is shown to start and Jeff goes after the arm. That’s reversed into an arm crank from Matt, who knocks Jeff down. Neither can hit a Twist of Fate so Jeff runs up the corner for the Whisper In The Wind to take over. The slingshot dropkick (that always looks good) gets two but he has to break out of the Side Effect. Jeff knocks him down again, only to miss the Swanton. Matt’s moonsault gets two but La Familia runs in for the DQ.

Rating: C+. This was a weird one as they didn’t want to fight each other and the fans weren’t sure what to do here. The smart move here is that they kept this short, as there was only so much you can get out of a match like this one. The action was good but the vibe was off, which was kind of the point of the whole thing anyway.

Post match the beatdown is on and Edge hits a spear to each Hardy.

Post break La Familia is in the ring so Edge can talk about how much he loves Vickie. He even has a special video package of their relationship, including their time in a park on a seesaw and in, uh, more intimate areas. With that out of the way, here is HHH to interrupt, complete with a big gift box. First though, let’s get this out of the way: no he isn’t secretly married to Vickie.

While he didn’t have the time to get a big special video together, he does have a video of his own. We see a video dated yesterday, showing Alicia Fox coming to see Edge with Vickie nowhere to be seen. Edge is worried about some wedding details so they go over some planning, including food options (uh, that should probably be decided earlier than the day before the wedding). HHH pauses the video and thinks Edge is a bit anxious, so let’s skip to the good part.

Back to the video, with Edge talking about how a white rose symbolizes his love for Vickie. He’s so attracted to scents, including whatever perfume Fox is wearing. She’s not wearing any perfume (cut to a VERY displeased Vickie in the arena) and Edge touches her arm, saying his trapezoid (Fox: “Your what?”) is locking up on him. A slightly nervous looking Fox rubs his neck (Edge: “I think it’s getting a little stiffer.”) but HHH pauses things again.

Edge explains that his neck was flaring up, with HHH saying lots of guys have women massage their necks when their wives aren’t there. An angry Edge sends the troops after HHH, who pulls out gift #2: a sledgehammer. HHH: “It’s one size fits all and there’s plenty for everyone!”

We go back to the video, which now sees Edge rubbing Fox’s back. Edge suggests taking the bra off (Fox isn’t sure) and mentions he went lingerie shopping yesterday, but there was nothing in Vickie’s size. He was told to go to the store for “bigger people” and talks about how big Vickie’s underwear really is. HHH stops the tape again and says this is awkward. He says he didn’t watch this yet, but it kills gift #3: some rather large underwear. HHH: “I can always park my car under it.”

We go back to the video where Edge takes off Fox’s glasses and…she’s going to leave. Edge stops her and they kiss, with Fox certainly approving. Back in the arena, Vickie glares at Edge, Fox looks like she’s about to cry, and Bam Neely is talking to Chavo Guerrero about something. Vickie screams a lot as Edge leaves to end the show. I’m going to assume they ran out of things to air here, as this went nearly 20 minutes and they easily could have accomplished the same thing in half the time.

Overall Rating: C-. It would be an understatement to call this a one note show as the Edge/Vickie stuff went from start to finish, with the villains sitting on the stage almost throughout the night. The wrestling was nothing special with that Umaga vs. Kennedy match being especially dull. Other than the Tag Team Title match, there is nothing important but Edge vs. HHH at the pay per view on the Smackdown side. Pretty weak show this time, though the reaction to Edge kissing Fox (once they got there) was good.

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Monday Night Raw – January 29, 2024: Well That’s Depressing

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 29, 2024
Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We’re done with the Royal Rumble and officially on the Road To Wrestlemania. That means it is time to start getting ready for the big time of the year. Almost everything is going to matter now, but that is going to be more complicated because CM Punk has reportedly torn his tricep. Odds are we’ll hear something about that tonight so let’s get to it.

Here is the Royal Rumble if you need a recap.

We open with wrestlers coming to work.

Pat McAfee is here, and apparently will be every Monday night going forward. No word on what that means for Wade Barrett.

We get a long recap of the Royal Rumble.

Here is CM Punk, with his arm in a sling, for a chat. He talks about how close he got to winning the Royal Rumble and had it in the palm of his hand. Punk doesn’t feel mad at Cody Rhodes, who earned the win. On Saturday, he tore his tricep and is going to be out for a long time. That means that main eventing Wrestlemania just isn’t happening this year, and the fans are not pleased.

Punk talks about a friend of his who is battling cancer and he never says a bad word and he’s the kind of person that Punk wants to be. We hear about other people Punk know who work day to day jobs and they keep going, which is what he wants to do. He’s a Chicago Cubs fan and guarantees us that there is always a next year…but here is Drew McIntyre to interrupt (Punk: “Not what I was expecting.”).

McIntyre seems to feel sorry for Punk and talks about how he’s going to headline Wrestlemania. He got his hands on Punk and still doesn’t like him, which has Punk promising to be back next year and then getting his hands on McIntyre. The fight is on with Punk using the bad arm, which is quickly taken down. Sami Zayn makes the save. Punk was emotional here but there is nothing he can do with that kind of an injury. Hopefully he’s back later this year, which should be a heck of a moment, but how many times can he keep making these comebacks?

Judgment Day is happy with how things are going and ready to take out DIY.

DIY is ready for Judgment Day and have been waiting for years for this chance.

Tag Team Titles: DIY vs. Judgment Day

Judgment Day is defending. Priest takes Ciampa into the corner and hits him in the face to take over. Everything breaks down in a hurry with DIY hitting stereo dives to the floor, meaning stereo pats on the back. We settle back down to Priest dropping Ciampa face first onto the apron.

Back in and Balor’s ax kick gets two so Ciampa goes over for the tag…which the referee doesn’t see. Ciampa finally gets in a reverse DDT for the breather and the tag brings in Gargano to clean house. The slingshot spear gives Gargano two and everything breaks down. Ciampa assists Gargano for an assisted Sliced Bread to Priest for two but can’t hit the Fairy Tale Ending.

A heck of a clothesline gives Priest two and he throws Gargano outside for making a save. South Of Heaven is broken up though and Ciampa hits a super White Noise for two. Meet In The Middle connects but Priest makes the save. That makes Ciampa send Priest over the announcers’ table as Balor knocks Gargano into the corner but misses the Coup de Grace.

The Gargano Escape and Sicilian Stretch go on at the same time until Priest drops Ciampa onto the other two for the save. We settle back down to Gargano escaping the Razor’s Edge and handing it back to Gargano. A superkick drops Balor so Priest loads up the Razor’s Edge to Ciampa, only to be cut off by Gargano. Back in and Ciampa rolls Priest up for two but it’s a Razor’s Edge into the Coup de Grace to retain the titles at 12:49.

Rating: B+. Man this was rolling by the middle and if they had gone at somewhere in there, the roof might have come off. Instead though, it was an awesome match in front of a hot crowd and I was buying that DIY had a chance of pulling this off. Really hot match here and hopefully DIY gets another shot at some point.

Post match Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh come in to celebrate, with Damian Priest saying we have seen a different side to the team in recent weeks and it’s time to thank someone for making it happen. That would be R-Truth, so here he is for a chat, albeit after Priest assures him that he’ll be safe. Truth comes in and talks about doing Priest’s taxes, with Priest saying Truth doesn’t know what any of that means.

They’re a family, with Balor as the weird uncle. Then you have Tom and Nick, but there is nothing else to say about them. McDonagh is like that step brother you don’t want to admit is in the family. Priest says they’re family, but Truth isn’t part of the team. He likes Truth though, which is why Dominik and McDonagh are doing this. The beatdown is on but Miz runs in for the save, only to get beaten down as well. Truth and Miz getting the Tag Team Titles could be a nice moment.

Chelsea Green/Piper Niven vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark

Niven runs Stark over to start but it’s quickly off to Baszler to work on the arm. Green comes in to takeover on Stark, who hits a Z360 for a VERY quick win at 2:01. Baszler looked a bit confused there, even though her team won so I’m wondering if that wasn’t as planned.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat and yeah the fans really like him. The fans say he deserves it, so Cody asks Samantha Irvin to introduce him as the back to back Royal Rumble winner one more time. Cody talks about how this place is supposed to be an escape for people but the last few days have been challenging. He needed the fans since then but let’s make Wrestlemania official.

Cue Seth Rollins to interrupt, saying he agrees with the fans: Cody deserves it. They might not see eye to eye, but Rollins is getting serious now: if Cody chooses to face Roan Reigns at Wrestlemania, he’s making a mistake. Cody should face Rollins instead and wants the fans to hear him out. At the Royal Rumble press conference, Cody said he was the guy, but neither he nor Roman Reigns is the guy anymore. Rollins is the guy, because of the World Heavyweight Championship.

It made sense to go after Reigns when there was only one champion, but Rhodes and Rollins have been on this ride together. They have made town after town and Rollins was defending the title every night. Why did the World Heavyweight Championship come to be? It’s because people were tired of Reigns barely being around to defend the title, but that’s not what Rollins does.

We don’t need to pretend that Reigns is something special anymore because we don’t need him at all. Does Cody want the Hulk Hogan Title, or does he want the Dusty Rhodes workhorse title? It doesn’t matter what Dusty would do because this is about Cody and his decision. Rollins can wait on an answer, but what kind of a man does Cody want to be? An emotional Cody says he respects Rollins and did not expect to be talking about this tonight. He’ll think about it. While I still think Cody picks Reigns, they did a really good job here of sewing some doubt, which is a god thing if you want the announcement to be a big moment.

New Day is ready to win another title when Kofi Kingston beats Gunther for the Intercontinental Title.

Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed

Reed runs him over to start and hits a hard clothesline. Back up and Jey manages to knock him outside for the suicide dive. We take a break and come back with Uso punching away and getting two off a high crossbody. The enziguri is knocked away though and Reed’s backsplash gets two. Reed goes up but gets knocked down, only to avoid the Superfly Splash. Reed’s Death Valley Driver gets two but he misses the Tsunami. Uso spears him down and hits the Superfly Splash for the pin at 9:17.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of win that can do some good for Uso. He wasn’t in there against a top star but he had to come from behind and gets a nice clean win. Uso is likely going to be getting to do something soon (a run at the Intercontinental Title wouldn’t shock me) and this should move him forward in more than one way.

Andrade officially signs with Raw but Nick Aldis interrupts. Adam Pearce introduces the two of them and runs down Andrade’s resume, though Aldis said Smackdown had its own contract offer. Andrade says say hi to Zelina Vega for him and leaves. Aldis says Bayley has been loaded to Raw for tonight, but before they can talk about the Elimination Chamber, Aldis takes a phone call from Bron Breakker.

Gunther talks about being glad Kofi Kingston challenged him because Kingston will remember this night for the rest of his life. After tonight though, Gunther will forget about Kofi and remember Gunther’s record setting title reign.

Becky Lynch is disappointed in losing but she’s not done fighting until she takes the title back to the main event where it deserves.

Intercontinental Title: Gunther vs. Kofi Kingston

Kingston is challenging and charges right at him to start. Some early shots to the face stagger Gunther but a backbreaker puts Kingston down. Gunther grabs the Boston crab and we’re off to an early break. Back with Gunther pounding away and telling Kingston to bring it. Gunther shrugs off a comeback attempt and grabs another Boston crab as we take another break.

Back again with Kingston hitting a jumping knee but getting caught in the sleeper. The powerbomb is broken up and they head outside, with Kingston countering another powerbomb attempt into a hurricanrana into the post. Back in and Kingston hits Trouble In Paradise but Gunther rolls outside before the cover.

Kingston drapes him over the steps for a jumping shot to the back, followed by the top rope Boom Drop for two back inside. Another Trouble In Paradise is countered in a failed Boston crab attempt so Gunther hits the big clothesline. Another clothesline is countered into the SOS for two and Gunther has had enough. The dropkick and powerbomb retain the title at 16:18.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going but once they got rolling, this got a lot better in a hurry. Kingston is in that sweet spot where he’s just good enough to feel like a threat while making Gunther look good. We’re coming up on Wrestlemania season and the shot against Gunther is going to be a big spot for someone. Jey Uso still feels like a real option, but it’s going to be someone big.

Post match Xavier Woods comes in to check on Kingston but Imperium comes in for the beatdown.

We look back at Drew McIntyre injuring Sami Zayn last month.

Sami talks about how he keeps getting things taken away by McIntyre, who is now targeting other people. Tonight, Sami is giving him a reality check.

Kabuki Warriors vs. Natalya/Tegan Nox

Non-title. Natalya runs Sane over to start so it’s off Now for some running shots to Asuka in the corner. A Cannonball keeps Asuka in trouble and it’s Natalya coming back in for the double running kicks to the face. We take a break and come back with Natalya fighting back on Asuka. A German suplex and discus clothesline look to set up the Sharpshooter so Asuka screams for Sane to save her. Natalya reaches for the tag to Nox but instead she goes to the floor to brawl with Sane. That goes badly, leaving Natalya to roll Asuka up for two. Asuka kicks Natalya down and the Insane Elbow finishes for Sane at 9:50.

Rating: C. Good grief. Natalya and Nox have teamed together SIX TIMES. Can we please stop acting like them having an issue and probably splitting up is in any way a big deal? Natalya isn’t interesting in the first place and pretending that this is some kind of a big deal isn’t making things better. This was a fine enough match but I rolled my eyes hard at the idea of some kind of a breakup angle between a team that was barely around in the first place.

Kayden Carter and Katana Chance are ready for their rematch for the Women’s Tag Team Titles next week.

Here is Bayley, with the rest of Damage CTRL, for a chat. Bayley talks about how everyone was saying she wasn’t as good once she came back from her injury but now she is back as the Royal Rumble winner. She beat the best women’s division ever and even broke Rhea Ripley’s Iron Woman record.

Cue Ripley to interrupt but Nia Jax jumps her from behind. The fight is on and they get in the ring, with Jax running her over and dropping the big leg. Jax drops two more plus the Annihilator before staring Bayley down in the corner. Ripley isn’t making it to Wrestlemania, but Bayley says she’s making her announcement on Smackdown. This was more about setting up Ripley for her Hogan vs. Andre style match in Australia.

Drew McIntyre says Sami Zayn has never beaten him and that isn’t changing tonight.

Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre

McIntyre jumps him to start and they go to the floor for an early break. Back with Sami hitting a sunset bomb for a much needed breather. Zayn fights back again but gets run over with a hard shot. McIntyre goes up top, only to get superplexed back down in quite the big crash.

The Helluva Kick is cut off with an elbow to the face, followed by the overhead belly to belly. White Noise plants Sami for two but he knocks McIntyre into the corner again. Another Helluva Kick is blocked with what appears to be a low blow. The Claymore finishes for McIntyre at 12:56.

Rating: C+. This got better near the end but it was kind of a flat main event. I’m not sure what WWE has in mind for McIntyre at Wrestlemania (though a match with Seth Rollins isn’t out of the cards) but this was just him beating Sami again. It was a good enough match, though nothing you need to really see.

Overall Rating: B-. The show started off on a down note but was picked up by some rather good action. They could only set up so much for Wrestlemania this week due to the Punk injury and probably a bunch of fallout from the lawsuit changing everything, but it could have been worse. They have more than enough time to get ready, but the build to Elimination Chamber can start next week.

Results
Judgment Day b. DIY – Coup de Grace to Ciampa
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark b. Chelsea Green/Piper Niven – Z360 to Green
Jey Uso b. Bronson Reed – Superfly Splash
Gunther b. Kofi Kingston – Powerbomb
Kabuki Warriors b. Tegan Nox/Natalya – Insane Elbow to Natalya
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Claymore

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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Monday Night Raw – January 22, 2024: Ready For Rumble

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 22, 2024
Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

This is the go home Raw before the Royal Rumble and while that is big enough, we also have to deal with Seth Rollins and the World Heavyweight Championship. Rollins has suffered a torn MCL and meniscus and that means something is going to have to be done. We’re not sure what that is going to include but Rollins is opening the show this week. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Here is Rollins (in an amazing lime green suit) with a big knee brace. Rollins talks about how happy he is to be here and recaps the week, including the knee injury. Last week he messed up his knee on a moonsault and had an MRI, which revealed the extent of the injuries. If he has surgery, he’s looking at being out 3-4 months, but we’re taking it one day at a time.

Cue Imperium to interrupt, with Rollins saying if Gunther is going to do it, then do it. Gunther says they have been avoiding each other but he respects Rollins for fighting to bring honor to a championship. Just like him. It’s kind of pulling the rug out from under him because he is sad at the idea of Rollins missing Wrestlemania. Rollins says Gunther and Imperium should have let him finish: he doesn’t care what the doctors say (the fans like that a lot) or how hard he has to rehabs and push his knee. He’s going to keep his promise and take the title into Wrestlemania, where he will do everything he can to keep the title.

Gunther likes that and says he would do the same thing if he was in Rollins’ position. Rollins reminds Gunther of himself, so on Sunday (the show is Saturday but close enough), Gunther is going to win the Royal Rumble and choose Rollins. However, Gunther is going to target his knee and his back and everything that isn’t 100%. Rollins appreciates the honesty but Gunther needs to remember who he’s coming after. Gunther says Rollins better remember who is coming after him. They shake hands to wrap it up…or in theory at least as here is New Day to jump Imperium for their scheduled match.

So there’s your big answer and it makes sense if Rollins wants to do it. At the same time, WWE is going to need a contingency plan in case Rollins can’t go and they need to have a cutoff point so something can be announced in time for Wrestlemania. For now though it is exciting as Rollins is a major star and I don’t want him to miss Wrestlemania, but we have a long time to go before we get there and quite a bit could change.

New Day vs. Imperium

Joined in progress with Woods getting beaten down in the corner. Kaiser comes in to stomp away as well and Woods is sent outside. A belly to back drop onto the apron has Woods in even more trouble and we take a break. Back with Kofi getting the hot tag and cleaning house, at least until Vinci baseball slides him down. They brawl to the floor with New Day being more aggressive than usual. It’s a double countout at 8:48.

Rating: B-. This was a rather aggressive match and some kind of No DQ/street fight rematch wouldn’t surprise me. It’s almost weird seeing New Day being this aggressive but what we got worked well. At the same time, it’s nice to see Imperium having something to do as they have been up and down since coming up to the main roster.

Post match the brawl stays on, with Kaiser and Woods brawling at ringside and the other two going into the crowd. They get back together with Kaiser grabbing a chair but Woods makes a save. Woods picks Kaiser up and teases putting him into the tech area but Vinci makes the save. Kofi has to save Woods from going through the tech area and all our go crashing through a table. This was a hot segment and the fans were eating it up.

Video on Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest.

Rhea Ripley and Priest argue a big, with Priest accusing her of having a big head for being on the cover of WWE2k24. Priest leaves and Ripley tells them to take care of everything else. She wants to see Finn Balor’s vicious side, which he’ll show her.

Maxxine Dupri is ready for the Royal Rumble, ad her match tonight. The Creeds come in to give her a pep talk.

Ivy Nile vs. Valhalla

There are now some factoids next to the name graphics on the entrances. Valhalla hammers away to start as Nikki Cross is walking back and forth at the entrance (though no one acknowledges her). Nile is knocked outside and dropped again, followed by some ripping at the face back inside. Valhalla sends her to the apron and slowly brought up top, where she hits a top rope bulldog to finish Valhalla at 2:48. This wasn’t very good while it lasted, as both of them looked rather unsure of what they were doing.

Jey Uso interrupts New Day to ask about their issues with Imperium. They talk about how serious they can be and they’ll prove it. New Day wants the big boss, so Kofi wants an Intercontinental Title shot next week. As they were talking, Damage CTRL could be seen walking around in the background.

Here is Nia Jax for a chat. Jax talks about how she squashed Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley, which is why it’s no surprise that Ripley wants to face Lynch. She promises to kill both of their dreams this weekend, but here is Lynch to interrupt. Lynch: “Shut up Nia you dope.” Lynch knows that the only thing people in the locker room can agree on is that they don’t like Jax. She’s probably hurt half of them, so of course she has a target on her back. Lynch is ready to see Jax lose, but here is Bayley to interrupt. She’s going to win the Rumble and point to the Wrestlemania sign, but the brawl is on instead, with Jax cleaning house.

Rumble By The Numbers:

30 entrants
1,310 entrants
34 winners
2.6% have won
20 have gone on to win the title at Wrestlemania
1 woman to enter at #1 and win
20 eliminations for Ripley all time, a record
1:01:08, Ripley’s record time in the Rumble
1:11:40, Gunther’s record time in the Rumble
60% of the winners have come from the last ten entrants
#30 has produced the most winners (5)
3 who have won consecutive Royal Rumbles
3 wins for Steve Austin, a record
3rd time Tampa will host the Royal Rumble (1995/2021)
8 eliminations for Shayna Baszler, the most in a single women’s match

More numbers later.

Becky Lynch is in the back and runs into Rhea Ripley, who wasn’t impressed by what she just saw.

Dominik Mysterio vs. The Miz

JD McDonagh and Finn Balor are here with Mysterio. Earlier today, R-Truth told Miz not to tag in tonight (Miz: “It’s a singles match.”) and to watch out for the Mysterio guys. R-Truth: “Tom and Nick.” Miz: “IT’S ONE GUY!” Dominik starts fast and knocks Miz to the floor, where the whole team gets to pose for a bit. Back in and Dominik keeps up the beating as this is one sided so far. Miz gets sent outside again and we take an early break.

Back with both of them down and Miz firing off some clotheslines. The Reality Check gets two and Miz dropkicks McDonagh through the ropes. A hurricanrana to the floor takes McDonagh down again and a springboard high crossbody gets two on Mysterio back inside. The YES Kicks, including the big one to the head, looks to set up the Skull Crushing Finale but Dominik breaks it up. A Balor enziguri sets up the 619 into the frog splash for the pin at 9:18.

Rating: C+. It only kind of works but there is something fun about watching Miz going more aggressive, especially with the high flying. It was nice to see Dominik get a singles win, even with some help, even though he doesn’t have much going on at the moment. For now though, Judgment Day is mainly about whatever R-Truth is doing and that might need to change.

Post match the beatdown is on but DIY makes the save….to almost eerie silence. McDonagh gets out before the Meet In The Middle.

Damian Priest is ready for Drew McIntyre tonight. R-Truth comes in to offer Priest his cut of the merch money but Priest says not now. For now, he’s ready for McIntyre, who couldn’t handle things when people came back. Tonight, McIntyre is getting his punishment.

Bronson Reed wants to face Jey Uso next week.

Ivar vs. Chad Gable

Ivar starts fast with a Tour of the Islands but Gable strikes away and manages a knockdown. The top rope headbutt connects but Ivar suplexes him to the apron, setting up a splash as we take a break. Back with Gable managing a top rope superplex but Ivar grabs a tiger driver for two of his own. Gable victory rolls him into the ankle lock, with Ivar powering out.

Another ankle lock is broken up so Ivar hits a sitout spinebuster for two. The Doomsault misses though and Gable grabs a bridging German suplex for two more. Ivar catches him up top but Gable flips over him and hits a German suplex out of the corner. Cue Valhalla for a distraction though, allowing Ivar to knock Gable down. The Doomsault is good for the pin on Gable at 10:59.

Rating: B. As has been the case for a very long while, power vs. speed is one of those things that is going to work almost every single time. That was the case again here, as Gable was doing everything he could and dealt with a monster like Ivar as well as possible. Ivar has been getting a few wins here and there and it is nice to have a new monster on the show. Rather solid match here with a trade of big spots, which is how you make an entertaining match with people like these two.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat but CM Punk (scheduled to be face to face with Cody) interrupts before he can say anything. Punk talks about how they took different paths to get here and wants to let it sink in a minute. Rhodes asks what Punk wants to talk about, so Punk picks Cody’s dad. Punk tells a story about Cody debuting in OVW and Dusty Rhodes asked Punk to keep an eye on him.

It wasn’t hard as Cody didn’t get into a lot of the vices their fellow wrestlers did but here is Cody as a main eventer. It’s a proud moment for Punk, but on Saturday, it’s going to feel like he’s breaking a promise. In the Royal Rumble, Punk isn’t looking out for Cody, but rather looking for him. Punk promises to go on to main event Wrestlemania, which Cody accepts.

Cody talks about how he’s tried to come here and be a light in the darkness. It’s true that he was a nepotism hire in OVW and Punk treated him like a peer when he didn’t have to. They became friends but that is bittersweet because there are no friends in the Royal Rumble. Punk asks what happens on Sunday morning when the Rumble over. Cody grew up in this business and knows what it is about. Punk talks about how he wasn’t born into wrestling and brings up Dusty’s famous catchphrases….which describe him more than Cody. Punk: “I’m more of the American Dream than you are.”

Cody gets more serious and brings up the Pipe Bomb, which Punk said and inspired a generation (including Cody) but then he left for a long time. Cody did everything Punk talked about doing, which makes him more Punk than Punk. That makes Punk take off the jacket and talk about how he’s the bigger star coming to take everything Cody wants. Cody quotes his dad quoting John Wayne: “Courage is being scared and saddling up anyways.”

The only direction Cody can go is forward into the Royal Rumble, and that includes going through Punk. Cody goes to leave and bumps him, with Punk spinning him around to go face to face but nothing gets physical. This had its moments and there were some very good lines, but this didn’t feel natural, at least partially because they were advertised in advance about being out there together.

We look at Hulk Hogan winning his first World Title forty years ago (tomorrow), before transitioning into a look at the Royal Rumble. Hogan teases being in the match himself.

Candice LeRae/Indi Hartwell vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark

Baszler takes over on LeRae to start before it’s off to Hartwell, who kicks Stark in the face. The villains are in trouble as we take an early break. Back with LeRae getting to clean house, meaning Stark has to make a save. Hartwell is knocked down and the Z360 finishes LeRae at 6:32. Not enough shown to rate but it was pretty short and to the point.

Post match Kayden Carter and Katana Chance come in for the staredown, only to have the Kabuki Warriors (getting a Women’s Tag Team Title shot on Friday) to jump the champs.

Drew McIntyre talks about how important it was to be on top during the pandemic and Damian Priest isn’t there yet.

Damage CTRL runs into Natalya and Tegan Nox and arguing ensues. Adam Pearce comes in to say save it for the Rumble, with Bayley saying they’ll be around more often when the Kabuki Warriors win the Tag Team Titles. With the women gone, Jinder Mahal and Indus Sher come in. Mahal wants to know what Pearce has planned so Pearce says meet him in his office.

Rumble By The Numbers Part 2:

9 two time winners
13 eliminations in one men’s Rumble by Brock Lesnar
Natalya is one of four women to compete in all women’s Rumbles
45 eliminations by Kane over 18 Rumbles, both records
3,653 days since CM Punk has been in a Royal Rumble
34,000,000 social media engagements for the Logan Paul vs. Ricochet clip from last year
9 people have won their first World Title off a Royal Rumble win
60% of winners from the last five years have won the World Title at Wrestlemania

Royal Rumble rundown.

Here’s what’s coming on next week’s show.

Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest

Priest hammers him into the corner to start but McIntyre is back with a running clothesline. They’re already out to the floor, with Priest getting caught diving off the steps. An overhead belly to belly drops Priest again but he’s right back with the Broken Arrow onto the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Priest working on the back until stereo big boots leave them both down. A neckbreaker puts Priest down again but he avoids the Claymore. McIntyre grabs a spinebuster for two but Priest is right back up with a shot to the head. Another Broken Arrow gives Priest two and he knocks McIntyre outside.

A dive takes him down but here is R-Truth to offer Priest his money again. Priest shoves him away but the distraction lets McIntyre hit Future Shock. Truth tries to put the money in the Money in the Bank briefcase but has to ask Priest the password. McIntyre punches Truth down, with the distraction letting Priest hit South Of Heaven. Priest yells at Truth and throws him out, allowing McIntyre to hit the Claymore for the pin at 13:02.

Rating: B-. This was a good hoss match for the most part but then it wound up turning into something of a mess by the end. The R-Truth stuff is hilarious but it didn’t really fit here, which is where having comedy can become an issue. McIntyre getting a win is a good thing and Priest lost via shenanigans, but it was still kind of a jarring twist.

Overall Rating: B. The show was almost all about the Royal Rumble and that’s all it needed to be. That means the majority was rather good, as it made me wonder who was going to win the Royal Rumble, which seems to have several options. It set up some things for the future as well while also giving us the big Cody vs. Punk showdown. Now if we had a good reason for Priest to not cash in on the injured Rollins, it would be that much better.

Results
New Day vs. Imperium went to a double countout
Ivy Nile b. Valhalla – Top rope bulldog
Dominik Mysterio b. The Miz – Frog splash
Ivar b. Chad Gable – Doomsault
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark b. Candice LeRae/Indi Hartwell – Z360 to Stark
Drew McIntyre b. Damian Priest – Claymore

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Smackdown – July 11, 2008: The Not So Wedding Show

Smackdown
Date: July 11, 2008
Location: River Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Attendance: 5,000
Commentators: Jim Ross, Mick Foley

It’s been a minute since I’ve done one of these and I’m barely remembering what we’re dealing with at the moment. HHH is ready to defend the Smackdown World Title against Edge at the Great American Bash, though Edge and Vickie Guerrero are having some troubles, to the point where their wedding is off. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Edge’s recent issues, from losing the World Title to CM Punk to his problems with Vickie Guerrero. Edge thinking that yelling at his boss/fiance was a good idea wasn’t his greatest moment.

Here is- Edge to get things going. He has had a week to think about what he said to Vickie Guerrero last week….and the wedding is STILL off. He’s happier without Vickie because he’s better than her. At the Great American Bash, he can prove everyone wrong by winning the World Title again.

He has won more titles than anyone else in this industry and he will prove how great he is again at the Great American Bash when he beats HHH. Cue Vickie Guerrero (Vickie: “Excuse me, baby.”) to say the wedding being canceled isn’t her loss. Vickie gives him a match tonight: a No DQ match against the Big Show. Edge says he isn’t afraid and promises to make Show a loser like her. Vickie has his mic cut off.

Video on Maria.

Matt Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin

Non-title. Matt takes him into the corner to start and we actually get a clean break. Back up and Matt grabs a headlock for some careful grinding. Benjamin sends him into the corner and hits a neckbreaker for two. The neck crank goes on as Benjamin certainly has a target so far. That’s broken up and Benjamin misses the Stinger Splash, allowing Hardy to start the comeback.

It’s too early for the Twist of Fate so Hardy settles for a corner clothesline/bulldog. The top rope elbow to the back of the head gives Matt two but Benjamin is right back with the exploder for the same. Matt is back up to try the Twist of Fate but Benjamin grabs the rope and hits…well it was supposed to be Paydirt but Matt fell the wrong way, making it kind of a jumping clothesline. Either way, it gives Benjamin the upset pin.

Rating: C. The ending was a surprise and it was even a clean pin, which doesn’t make for the best future for Matt and the title. For now though, Benjamin getting a push isn’t a bad thing, but he couldn’t have put his feet on the ropes here? Nice job on the surprise pin, though I’m not wild on the way they got there.

The Edgeheads are in Vickie Guerrero’s office and say the three of them don’t deserve Edge’s abuse. Instead, they want to face Jesse and Festus, with Vickie making the match.

Mr. Kennedy vs. Domino

MVP is on commentary and gets a few jabs from Kennedy during the pre-match chat. Kennedy takes him down to start and hits a corner clothesline, with Domino bailing out to the floor. Back in and Domino manages a quick slam and legdrop but Kennedy fights up again. Some elbows to the face and a running boot in the corner have Domino in trouble, setting up the Mic Check to give Kennedy the pin.

Rating: C. They kept this short here and that is how it should have gone as the point was for MVP and Kennedy to be in the same place, likely with something happening after the match. Both of them could use this feud as they could both go or a boost. Domino does not seem long for this place, as he could not have been more of a jobber here.

Post match Umaga runs in and wrecks Kennedy.

Chavo Guerrero, with Bam Neely, gives Edge a pep talk and says he’s going to give Vickie Guerrero a piece of his mind.

Post break Chavo offers Vickie that piece of his mind….which is about how horrible Edge is and how the Guerreros have to stick together. Vickie doesn’t buy it (my goodness intelligence!) and gives Chavo a match with HHH instead.

Miz/John Morrison vs. Finlay/Hornswoggle

Non-title. Finlay and Morrison start things off as JR goes on a mini rant about Edge and Vickie’s drama. Miz’s cheap shot earns him a flip over the top so Finlay beats up both of them at once. Hornswoggle comes in for some Stunners (JR: “Next thing you know he’ll be drinking beer!”) but a double dropkick cuts him off. An enziguri hits a kneeling Morrison though and it’s Finlay coming in to clean house. The Celtic Cross connects but Miz makes the save. That earns him a shillelagh shot, followed by the Tadpole Splash to give Hornswoggle the pin.

Rating: C. Nothing is getting a ton of time this week and that doesn’t exactly make me interested in seeing the longer form rematch. This probably sets up a pay per view title match and at least there was some cheating to get us to the rematch. It’s still a bad night for the champs though and that isn’t the best thing to see.

Video on Jeff Hardy’s Mission: Impossible themed photo shoot as he chases the World Title.

HHH vs. Chavo Guerrero

Non-title and Bam Neely is here with Chavo. HHH fights out of a headlock to start and elbows him in the face, which does not sit well with Chavo early on. Chavo’s arm wringing gets him punched in the face and HHH starts in on the arm. Chavo comes back with some right hands and Neely’s cheap shot sets up a crossface chickenwing of all things. That’s broken up so HHH hits the running knee. The spinebuster cuts Chavo off again and, after decking Neely, HHH grabs the Pedigree for the pin.

Rating: C. Well at least the champion won for once, even if it was in another short match. Then again, it’s nice to have a showcase for the World Champion for a change as you don’t get to see that often enough. Chavo getting punished for trying to play Vickie and Edge at the same time was nice too and the match went well, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

Michelle McCool/Cherry vs. Natalya/Maryse

Michelle takes Maryse down to start as Foley explains how to pronounce Maryse. A dropkick gives Michelle two and it’s off to Cherry for a Hennig necksnap. Maryse runs over to bring in Natalya, who easily slams Cherry. Natalya gets in a kick to the leg and grabs the Sharpshooter for the fast pin. Did they suddenly get a go home cue or something?

Post match Natalya beats up Michelle and suplexes her on the floor.

Jesse & Festus vs. Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder

Jesse slugs away at Hawkins to start and stomps him down in the corner. Ryder comes in but so does Festus with the latter getting to clean house. Festus clears the ring and Hawkins and Ryder just take the countout.

Post match the bell has turned Festus into a zombie again so Hawkins and Ryder beat down Jesse. They were being scientific….until Jesse rings the bell so Festus can wreck the villains.

Video on HHH.

Stevie Richards vs. Vladimir Kozlov

Kozlov has gained entrance music and runs him over with a shoulder to start. Some knees to the ribs and a fireman’s carry put Richards down and we hit the bodyscissors. Back up and Richards hammers away, only to get headbutted down for the pin.

Edge yells at Chavo Guerrero until the Edgeheads come in. The argument keeps going until Vickie Guerrero comes in. If anyone else tries to help Edge, or if Edge walks out on the match, they’re fired.

Raw Rebound.

Great American Bash rundown.

Edge vs. Big Show

No DQ and Vickie Guerrero is watching from the stage. Show starts fast and takes him to the floor for a ram into the barricade. The announcers’ table takes too long to load up though and Edge gets in a quick spear as we take an early break. Back with Show cutting off a kendo stick shot and throwing Edge into the steps and over the barricade without much effort. Edge comes back with a bulldog off of said barricade and they both get a breather.

A kendo stick to Show’s head lets them go back inside, where Edge’s choke manages to take Show down again. That’s broken up with a belly to back suplex but the chokeslam is countered into a DDT. Edge brings in a chair but charges a bit too hard, allowing Show to punch it into his face. For some reason that doesn’t know Edge silly and he’s back with a low blow. The Conchairto is loaded up but Show is up with a chokeslam. Show loads up his own Conchairto, only to have Vickie say stop the match. The bell rings and Vickie comes in to check on Edge.

Rating: C+. This felt like a house show street fight and that is probably something they have done more than once. The ending was more important though and that is going to lead to the next step in the rather long Edge/Vickie saga. Putting someone against Big Show is a pretty standard punishment, so everything here made sense, even if it wasn’t an instant classic.

Edge and Vickie reconcile to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The ending is the big story here as there wasn’t much else on the rest of the show. They did well enough with Edge and Vickie, but that’s about all there is on here, with even HHH not feeling that important. HHH vs. Edge/Vickie is a big time feud and having it take place at a mid level pay per view like the Great American Bash is certainly a weird choice. Smackdown needs another good story though as there just isn’t much going on around here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw – January 15, 2024: The Jinder Hinderer

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 15, 2024
Location: Simmons Bank Arena, North Little Rock, Arkansas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

The slow build towards the Royal Rumble continues and that means we’re likely to get some more names added to the show’s namesake matches. In addition, we have Seth Rollins defending the Raw World Title against Jinder Mahal in a match that might just be crazy enough for WWE to do something off the wall. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day video. That’s a nice thing to bring back from the Vince days.

Seth Rollins, with daughter, arrived earlier, as did Jinder Mahal.

Here is Cody Rhodes to get things going. Rhodes brings up a song about Little Rock but isn’t sure if that’s what the fans want to talk about. Instead, let’s talk about why he’s back in WWE. The Royal Rumble is just around the corner, but here is Drew McIntyre to interrupt. McIntyre asks Rhodes what he wants to talk about and brings up their time as Tag Team Champions (Rhodes: “The Dashing Ones.”). He brings up their time on the indies, which was good enough that got WWE to call them back.

McIntyre’s last match on the indies was with Rhodes, who told him he would be a World Champion one day. Rhodes needs to keep doing what he has been doing and he’ll be the first member of his family to hold up that title. Rhodes will finish his story…but McIntyre is finishing his first. We hear about some people who could win the Royal Rumble but McIntyre wants him to step up.

Rhodes talks about how thankful and grateful he is while McIntyre is complaining about his second chance. McIntyre brings up the people Rhodes has brought to Raw or endorsed when he could have just left it alone. Rhodes calls him out for his complaints and says the way to do this is look at yourself and to the fans. Yes McIntyre’s last match on the indies was against McIntyre, but who won? It’s great to see all these personal feuds being built up on the way to the Rumble, as they could well indeed go beyond and into Wrestlemania.

Damian Priest yells at R-Truth for selling bootleg Judgment Day merchandise….until Truth hands him his cut, which is a pile of hundreds. Priest says ok but just don’t talk about selling the merch. Oh and in the tag match tonight: Truth doesn’t tag in.

JD McDonagh/Dominik Mysterio vs. DIY

Gargano and McDonagh get things going and head to the mat for some front facelocks. A hurricanrana sends McDonagh outside but Mysterio knocks Gargano outside as well. Ciampa drops Mysterio and DIY is happy as we take a break. Back with Ciampa blasting McDonagh with a clothesline but another Mysterio cheap shot cuts Gargano off.

The chinlock goes on to keep Gargano down but he’s back up with the slingshot spear. McDonagh pulls Ciampa off the apron before the tag though and we take another break. Back with Ciampa coming back in to clean house again. The Fairy Tale Ending is escaped but a powerbomb/belly to back suplex combination gets two on Mysterio.

We get the big exchange of strikes to the face and everyone is down. Mysterio is back up to dropkick Gargano into a 619 position but Ciampa makes the save as everything stays broken down. A slightly different kind of DDT sets up Meet In The Middle to finish McDonagh at 18:12.

Rating: B-. This match got some time and it’s nice to see DIY getting a win. They could very easily be slotted into the title picture as they are building up some quick momentum. Then again, it has felt like they were ready to move up the ladder more than once so I’ll believe it when I see it. On the other hand, it’s nice to see Mysterio and McDonagh fitting in well as the Judgment Day jobbers.

Chelsea Green and Piper Niven met with Adam Pearce, along with Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae. A tag match is made for later tonight.

Chelsea Green/Piper Niven vs. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae

Green goes after LeRae to start and it’s quickly of to Niven to hammer away. An early Vader Bomb misses though and it’s LeRae coming in for some step up backsplashes. Everything breaks down and Niven misses the basement crossbody. That leaves Green to get hung in the ropes for a Lionsault from LeRae for the pin at 3:30.

Rating: C. This wasn’t much of a match as they were flying through everything to get to the pin. Hartwell and LeRae are the next team up it seems, which is pretty typical for the division. There’s only so much to get excited about when the division has such a revolving door of teams, but maybe they can do something given their history together.

Video on Nia Jax.

Judgment Day isn’t happy with R-Truth being around, but Damian Priest whips out the stack of cash to change their mind. Oh and JD McDonagh doesn’t get any because his name isn’t on the shirt.

Ludwig Kaiser introduces the returning Gunther. The fans seem happy to have him back, which almost has Gunther a bit confused. Gunther says he can smell the desperation around here, but that might just be Arkansas. Last year, Gunther entered the Royal Rumble at #1 and was one elimination away from winning. This year, he’s entering again and he’s going to win.

For now though, he wants to focus on Kaiser. We look at Kaiser injuring Kofi Kingston last week, which Gunther loved. Cue the returning Xavier Woods, who says that was too far last week. Woods is here to get revenge on Kaiser, but maybe Kaiser has to ask daddy for permission. Gunther approves so let’s do this, with Woods winning the pre-match fight.

Xavier Woods vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Joined in progress with Woods hammering away but getting kicked in the face. Kaiser stomps away until Woods gets in a shot to the face of his own. Woods goes up top, only to get pulled back down in a nasty crash. Kaiser is right back on him with more shots to the head, plus a kick to the chest for two.

Back up and Woods manages a kick to the head, only to get dropped again with a hard clothesline. A whip sends Woods shoulder first into the post and a running dropkick puts him on the floor as we take a break. Back with Woods hitting another kick to the head, setting up a chop off. Woods unloads with stomps in the corner and hits a dropkick through the ropes for a bonus. The beating is on outside, with Woods eventually hitting him with a chair for the DQ at 10:10.

Rating: C+. This was a different side of Woods and it wound up working well. Right now it seems that we’re waiting to see the partners return for what should be a big showdown tag match. If that means we have to wait and see a more intense Woods, which made him stand out for the first time in awhile, so be it.

With the match over, Woods grabs the chair again, only to have Kaiser kick it into his face. Kaiser loads up the dropkick into the steps but Woods gets up and throws the stairs at his head. Kaiser ducks away and it’s time to run through the crowd as Woods is still looking angry.

Bronson Reed promises to win some unspecified title.

Ludwig Kaiser jumps Xavier Woods in the back but Jey Uso makes the save.

We look at how Jinder Mahal got a World Title shot against Seth Rollins tonight.

Akira Tozawa vs. Ivar

Maxxine Dupri and Valhalla are here too. Ivar runs him over to start but Tozawa is back up with a spinning kick to the head. Tozawa drops him again and rips the shirt off, only to get caught with a spinning slam. Dupri offers a distraction though and Tozawa grabs a sunset bomb for the pin at 1:58.

Post match Valhalla and Ivar jump Maxxine and Tozawa to leave them laying.

Here is Rhea Ripley for a chat and she gets right to the point: she is going to be waiting on whomever wins the Royal Rumble because Mami always comes out on top. Cue Becky Lynch to interrupt, Becky talks about their similarities, which include going from nothing to the top and making a big splash at Wrestlemania.

The difference is Becky has actually won the Royal Rumble. Here they stand though, with Lynch wondering if this entire thing has been worth it. Lynch thinks Ripley is better than her, but she needs to beat Ripley to prove herself wrong. She needs to win the Rumble and point at the sign, which sounds good to Ripley. She’ll see Lynch at Wrestlemania. There’s your big tease and yeah I’m in.

Seth Rollins knows he’s up against Jinder Mahal tonight and we’ve been here before. This is a different Mahal though, and Seth is ready.

Miz/R-Truth vs. Judgment Day

Non-title and most of Judgment Day is here with Damian Priest and Finn Balor. To make it more complicated, Truth comes out with Judgment Day and hands Balor his cut of the merch money. Ruth starts for the team and takes Balor into the corner, which has Balor annoyed. Balor stomps away and we take an early break.

We come back with Truth fighting out of a chinlock and kicking Balor in the head. The diving tag brings Miz in and Priest is thrown over the announcers’ table. Back in and the corner clothesline hits Balor but Truth tags himself in for the ax kick. Priest yells at Truth, who kicks Balor in the face, earning himself the South Of Heaven. Balor gets the pin at 8:00.

Rating: C+. WWE has something with Truth and Judgment Day and they seem to know it. I could certainly go for more from them and it wouldn’t shock me to see a rematch for the titles at the Royal Rumble. Whatever keeps Truth on TV, as he has struck gold yet again, which is hardly even a surprise at this point.

Jinder Mahal is ready to get his title back because this is twelve years in the making in one night.

Shinsuke Nakamura is mad at his loss to Cody Rhodes but he’s entering the Royal Rumble.

Tegan Nox/Natalya vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark

Stark takes Nox into the corner to start and it’s off to Baszler for a stomp to the chest. Nox fights out of said corner but Baszler sends her right back into the corner. The comeback doesn’t take much longer as Nox gets over to Natalya for the necessary tag. Everything breaks down and Stark comes in but Baszler makes a blind tag. That’s fine with Natalya, who hits a discus lariat but Stark breaks up the Hart Attack. Baszler chokes Natalya for the tap at 5:23.

Rating: C. This is the lower level of the least interesting division in WWE and another match like this doesn’t make things much more interesting. It feels like these four have been feuding for a few weeks now without getting anywhere. Odds are that’s all we’ll be seeing from them until one of them gets a Women’s Tag Team Title shot and loses. Then a new team will take their place and it starts all over again.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Raw World Title: Jinder Mahal vs. Seth Rollins

Mahal is challenging and has Indus Sher with him. Sher offers an early distraction and the beating is on to start. It’s too early for the Khallas, Stomp and Pedigree as Rollins is backdropped out to the floor. Rollins fights up….and here is Damian Priest to watch. We take a break and come back with Mahal dropping some knees and grabbing an abdominal stretch. Rollins fights out and hits some forearms of his own.

A crossbody gives Rollins two and it’s a springboard Swanton into a Lionsault for two more. Rollins comes up favoring his knee but he’s fine enough to grab a Falcon Arrow. The Pedigree is loaded up but his knee gives out, meaning Mahal is up at two. Rollins misses another high crossbody….and Priest stands up. Cue Drew McIntyre to brawl with Priest to the back, leaving Mahal to hit a fireman’s carry gutbuster for two. Veer gets in a briefcase shot into the Khallas for two, only to have Rollins come back with the Stomp to retain at 13:03.

Rating: B-. That’s about all I was expecting it to be and it was not bad at all. Mahal was just enough of a minor threat to believe a long shot title change was possible, as WWE did a nice job of setting him up. Indus Sher and Priest made things even better and it was a perfectly good, one off match. Mahal as the former champion who wants to prove he wasn’t a fluke is a way to go and he’s done rather well in the last few weeks, including here.

Overall Rating: B-. I had fun with the show, as they built things up towards the Rumble while also covering some things this week. Rollins gets a win under his belt on the way to the Rumble and we have the hilarity of R-Truth and Judgment Day. These shows have the task of not making a major mistake before we get a better picture of WrestleMania at the Rumble and they had a pretty good one this week.

Results
DIY b. Dominik Mysterio/JD McDonagh – Meet In The Middle to McDonagh
Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae b. Piper Niven/Chelsea Green – Assisted Lionsault to Green
Ludwig Kaiser b. Xavier Woods via DQ when Woods used a chair
Akira Tozawa b. Ivar – Sunset bomb
Judgment Day b. Miz/R-Truth – South Of Heaven to R-Truth
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark b. Natalya/Tegan Nox – Kirifuda Clutch to Natalya
Seth Rollins b. Jinder Mahal – Stomp

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